Its Only High School After All
by Rawripop
Summary: <html><head></head>AU This is my first fanfic. Her life turned upside down with the death of her father, Mitarashi Kai is sent to live with her aunt Anko. Will she survive high school? Maybe, maybe not. But she's not going down without a fight. Pairing: DeixOCxHid</html>
1. Prologue

**Um... this is my first story so it probably won't be that good or that long ^_^ this chapter is mainly background, from the main character's POV, but it's not really a chapter at all. read and review? constructive criticism would be nice, but flames aren't appreciated. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Cuz if I did, the Akatsuki wouldn't all die (or in Hidan's case, be buried alive), Kabuto would be blown up by Dei-kun for being a loser, and Sasuke would come out of the closet.**

My name is Mitarashi Kai. My life up until now, to be blunt, has sucked. I probably sound like a whiny little brat, but hear me out. You might end up agreeing with me.

I was born fifteen years ago to Mizuki Hana and Mitarashi Ko. My mother died when I was seven. Raised mostly by my father, I grew up like a tomboy. My style has evolved since then and now I am what many consider punk. My father says I remind him of Mom. I inherited her crazy, curly red hair and emerald green eyes. Of course, I ended up inheriting Dad's dark skin tone.

Enough about my appearance. My dad passed away last month, and I was sent to live with my aunt Anko, who lives in Konohagakure, and works at Konoha High as a proctor for the kids who have in-school suspension. So, needless to say, she doesn't take bull from anyone. Since she works there, that's where she had me enroll.

She gave me no shortage of warnings when it came to the students there. Especially the gang Akatsuki. "Don't get involved," she said "they're nothing but trouble." Well, whatever. I'm sure I can handle it. After all, it's only high school. Whether or not I make friends, I will survive. If that's a good thing or not, I'm not sure. But I ain't going down without a fight.


	2. Chapter 1

**First ****Chapter! I've been trying to publish at school, but even though I can get on FF, I can't publish anything. So I'll be writing them at school, uploading them to the site, then publishing them when I get home. Perfect solution. Wow... Not that you care... Anywho, on to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I'm just not that awesomesauce.**

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><p>"KAI! Get up! You're gonna make us late!" Anko yelled. I groaned and buried my head under the pillow. "Don't make me get the bucket!"<p>

I bolted upright. "I'm up!" I called, running over to my closet and grabbing my favorite skinnies and a lowcut black t-shirt, which I put on over a red cami. Grabbing my favorite Vans from under the bed I hopped to the bathroom as I slipped them on. I quickly ran a brush through my hair and applied some eyeliner. I would've preferred more time to get ready for my first day, but I overslept, as usual…hey, I love to sleep. You can't hold that against me. I ran back to my room, grabbed a couple rainbow jelly bracelets off my nightstand and my backpack off the floor.

I bolted downstairs and she tossed me a pack of PopTarts. "Arigato, Oba-san!"

"Yeah, whatever… c'mon, let's go." She smirked, and I grinned back. Despite her gruff response, she's a softie. At least, she is towards me. I think I'm the only teenager who ever gets to see her sweeter side. Lucky me.

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><p>I inhaled deeply, calming myself. I was nervous, not that I would let anyone see that. I walked through the doors with my chin up, looking as confident as I could. Anko walked away, leaving me at the mercy of the tidal wave of the student body. <em>Thanks…<em>

"Excuse me," I tapped a blonde dude on the shoulder "Can you tell me where the office is?"

"Sure! You must be the new girl Anko was talking about in ISS yesterday!" He seemed…. Quite loud. Friendly enough though, and I figured we'd get to be friends.

"She was talking about me?" I asked nervously.

"YEAH! She said if anyone did anything to you that you didn't like and she found out about it, she'd castrate them. She seems a little protective, ne?"

"She's my aunt…" I mumbled, "Great, now no one will want to talk to me because they think I'll rat them out to the 'evil' proctor…"

"Nah, don't worry about it! No one takes her seriously! Besides, anyone can get on her good side by giving her dango... you can get away with anything then!" I sweatdropped. "I'm Naruto, by the way!"

I smiled "Kai."

"Can I call you 'Kai-Hime?"

"Uh, please don't…."

"Kai-chan?"

"That'll work."

We walked into the office where we were greeted by a lady with black hair. The nameplate on her desk said "Shizune." She smiled at us. "You must be the new student. Mitarashi Kai, correct?"

"Hai."

"Here's your schedule. Naruto, would you show her to her homeroom? Maybe you could give her a quick tour first, though."

"ALRIGHT!" He bolted out of the office, leaving me in the dust... Maybe he forgot about me already?

I calmly left the office to find Naruto hanging out by the door talking to a boy with black hair pulled back in a ponytail. He looked absolutely bored to tears.

"Naruto," I said sweetly, "Did you forget about me already?"

"N-no! No, of course I didn't forget you... I just-"

I giggled. "It's okay, I was teasing. Who's this?"

"Nara Shikamaru. And you're the new kid everyone's talking about, right?"

"Yup," I grinned. "Mitarashi Kai. Nice to meet you! Naruto was just gonna show me around. You wanna come along?"

"Sorry, I have to go talk to Asuma-sensei. See you around." He walked away, and I turned to Naruto.

"What's Asuma teach?" I asked.

"Oh, he's actually the guidance counselor. Shikamaru is always talking to him. I think it's about college or something, because he doesn't seem to need the emotional help."

"Ah. Hey, who's homeroom are you in?"

"Kakashi-sensei's. He's also the health teacher. What's your schedule say?"

"Same!"

"Hey, lemme see that!" He snatched the schedule out of my hands. "Looks like we won't need the tour after all. At least one of my friends are in each of your classes if I'm not. I'm sure one of them will be happy to show you where your next classes are!"

He led me to homeroom. When we walked in the door, everyone got quiet. Did this happen to all new kids? A man with silver hair walked over to us. What surprised me was, based on the color of his hair, I would've thought he'd have been older. He seemed around thirty-five though, not old at all. "You must be Kai. Would you please introduce yourself to the class?"

Everyone stared at me expectantly. "My name is Mitarashi Kai. I'm fifteen. I love dango, and uh... that's about it..." Blank stares. Oh, this is gonna be fun...

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><p><strong>End of first chapter. Not much happened. It's really short... Gomen nasai... T.T Review? Constructive criticism? Invisble grammar monster is being mean! He won't help me...<strong>

**Monster: You don't deserve the quality help I give.**

***Sigh* See what I deal with?**


	3. Chapter 2

'**Kay, chapter 2! As always (even though no one has yet… T.T) review! Or I might cry for real… **

**Disclaimer: I don't freakin' own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't let Disney sensor Hidan like they do… rawr.**

I stared back at the rest of the class, feeling more than a little akward. Kakashi-sensei didn't seem to be paying attention. Either that or he enjoyed my misery. The silence didn't last much longer, thank Kami. Or, should I say, thank Naruto.

"Oi, Kai-chan! Come here!" I smiled in relief as I walked over to the strange boy.

"NARUTO! Quit yelling in my ear!" A pink haired girl yelled at him.

"Gomen Sakura-chan." He grinned sheepishly.

"Hmph" was all the response he got. They were obviously really close friends, why else would he allow her to yell at him like that? Unless… _He _likes_ her! _

"Hi! I'm Kai. It's great to meet you. Sakura, was it? That's such a pretty name." No, I wasn't kissing up. I genuinely like her name.

She looked up at me and smiled sweetly. "You think so? Heh, thanks!" She paused. "Did Naruto introduce you to everyone yet?"

"We met Shikamaru. Otherwise, he didn't have the chance."

"Okay, well, that's Sai, don't let his stupid nicknames annoy you, he's just socially inept." She smiled softly and gestured to a guy with black hair and really pale, almost white skin. His smile seemed kinda shy and almost forced. I thought he was adorable, in a creepy way.

"That's Hinata," She pointed to a cute (not in the usual context, cute like a puppy or kitten) girl with purple-ish hair who blushed like crazy. I gave her a little wave and she blushed more but waved back.

"Shino." She pointed to a guy with brown hair and dark glasses. He seemed… odd.

"Over there's Kiba," A guy with brown hair and chocolatey brown eyes and a smile to die for. "He's a flirt, but you'll get used to him." I could do more than get used to him with a smile like that. He smirked and winked, almost as if he knew what I was thinking. I felt my face warm up and quickly turned my attention back to Sakura.

"There's TenTen." A girl with brown hair pulled up into two buns smiled and waved.

"Neji." A girl…. No, wait, that's a dude… with long dark brown hair looked over, _hmph_ed, and turned away_. Gee, friendly_.

"That is-"

"ROCK LEE! IT IS SUCH A JOY TO HAVE SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND YOUTHFUL NEW STUDENT IN OUR CLASS!"

"He's a little strange." She said. No joke. This kid had a bowl-cut hairstyle, and huge eyebrows. His eyes kinda freaked me out a bit too.

"Right. Anyway, you said you met Shikamaru." He was sleeping at his desk.

"Choji is the one over there with the chips." I smiled and waved at larger boy with shaggy brown hair. He swallowed, smiled, and said "Hey!"

"That is the Ino-pig." She smirked and waved dismissively at a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Shut up, forehead!" Ino giggled. "Nice to meetcha!"

I glanced down at my schedule again. "Do any of you have Geometry first period?"

"Neji and I do. Want us to walk with you?" TenTen asked.

"Sure, that'll be great!" The bell rang then, and we were off to our first period.

When we got to the classroom, TenTen and Neji headed towards the back corner, TenTen gesturing for me to follow. Walking over, three people caught my eye.

One of them was a redhead with amazing aquamarine eyes and a clothing style that could easily be described as punk.

The others were the pair of boys across the room, following me with their eyes. One had long, silky black hair pulled back in a ponytail with bored, yet somehow intense red eyes. The other was… blue? Yeah, that's probably the best way to describe his coloration. His skin had a sickly, bluish tint to it. His hair was a darker shade of blue. He grinned as he watched me, and I could see his teeth had been sharpened to points. The first thought that came to my mind when I saw him was _shark_. They were both wearing black hoodies with a red cloud on the back. I looked quickly away and hustled after TenTen and Neji.

I nudged TenTen. "Who are they?" I asked, pointing to the odd pair.

She shivered. "That's Hoshigake Kisame and Uchiha Itachi. They're in the gang Akatsuki. Bad news. They kinda scare me." Huh. They didn't strike me as scary. Just… bizarre. Especially Sharky.

"Mm-hmm… What about him?" I gestured to the redhead.

"Oh, that's Sabaku Gaara. He and his brother and sister just transferred here a few weeks ago from Suna. He's pretty cool."

Class started then, and it was nearly impossible for me to concentrate during the lesson on the Pythagorean… Theory? Forum? Theorum. That's right. Shows how much attention I actually paid. I kept glancing back at the strange boys in the corner, trying to avoid detection. Kisame caught me looking once, though, and grinned, showing off his teeth. He elbowed Itachi and cocked his head in my direction. Itachi stared at me for a while, and I blushed and looked away. Kisame snickered.

The bell rang. I looked down at my schedule, _again_. "Biology. With…Orochimaru-sensei. Anyone have it?"

"Oh, Pedo-sensei. No. Thank Kami. Sorry, but he's creepy." TenTen said. Neji nodded.

"It's on the way to our next class, though. We can show you where it is."

"That'd be great! Let's go!"

On the way to Biology, I wondered what TenTen meant by creepy… Pedo-sensei? Pedo, like in _Pedophile_? Great….


	4. Chapter 3

**Number three! Hoorah! Lol I'm hyper and kinda happy cuz I got reviews! *happy dance* I have been thinking. I still haven't decided the pairing, and my friend gave me the idea to do a love-triangle. I'm thinking about using either an Akatsuki and one of the Leaf/Sand guys, or two of the Akatsuki. I have an idea who I want to use from the Akatsuki, but nothings set in stone. Give me some ideas in your reviews!**

**Anyways, Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…blahblahblah boring stuff right?**

I walked into biology alone, looking for someone recognizable. There! In the corner, Kiba was sitting alone. I headed in his direction. I felt someone glaring daggers at my back.I quickened my pace.

"Hi, Kiba-kun. Can I sit with you?" I smiled faintly, then looked over my shoulder to see if I could figure who was giving me the death stare. My gaze landed on an emo-looking dude in the front.

"Sure," he smirked, "anything for you." I blushed and sat down, trying to ignore the kid who seemed to be trying to melt my brain with his eyes. I couldn't take it very long though, and soon I asked who he was. Kiba looked a little miffed that I was asking about another guy. "Who, him? He's just Uchiha Sasuke. He can kinda be a jerk. Why?"

"He's just been glaring at me all period, and I wanted to know who he was so I can avoid him." _Or put him in his place_, I thought. I looked up at Kiba innocently.

"Ah, don't worry about him. He's all bark and no bite. He likes to look tough, but he's a wuss." He was smirked a little, and I giggled. It was kinda adorable the way he was acting. Not bad looking either. I decided then that if he asked me out, I wouldn't say no. Of course, I'd only know him a few hours. I might have been jumping the gun, so to speak. Well… then again, maybe I'm just egotistical and looking way too far into things. I mentally shrugged.

Just then, the teacher walked in, and, eww, was he creepy. I completely understood what TenTen had meant. He smiled when he saw Sasuke near the front. Kay, yeah, that definitely screams pedophile. To make it worse, he patted him on the head like some kinda dog. Eww. Long black hair framed his pale face, and his amber eyes seemed to glow with a sickly yellow light. And, oh my Kami, was he wearing purple eyeliner? I gagged a little and Kiba looked at me concerned. I glanced pointedly at Pedo-sensei and he nodded in understanding.

Orochimaru-sensei's gaze slid in our direction and he smirked. "Well, well, it looks like we have a new student in our midst. And you are?"

"Name's Kai." I said, struggling not to shudder under his gaze. His eyes seriously gave me the heebie-jeebies.

"Kai, hm? I always thought that was a boy's name."

"And I thought eyeliner was just for girls and drag queens." A few students snickered, including Kiba. Pedo-sensei glared. A malicious smirk was pasted to my face. This guy just rubbed me the wrong way.

"I can see we are going to have an interesting year with you." He hissed.

"Hm, really? I don't know, your class seems kinda boring." An angry vein twitched in his forehead.

"Are you trying to get a detention?"

"Are you trying to get in poor Sasuke-kun's pants?" More snickers, and a few outright laughs. Sasuke glared at me, and I smirked wickedly.

"How di- Ahem. This discussion is over." He turned around and walked to the board.

"How di- what? How did I know? Its pretty obvious. I don't know 'bout everyone else, but I'm waiting for you to offer him candy and ask him to stay after class." The class roared with laughter, except for Sasuke, who looked mortified. Well, as mortified as one can look when they are practically emotionless. Pedo-sensei whipped around.

"That's it! Office, now! I won't tolerate this amount of disrespect!"

"Thank Kami. I was worried I'd have to be in here all period." Not that it mattered. The period only had twenty minutes left thanks to me. I sauntered out of the door and down the hallway to the office.

When I got there, there was a boy, probably a senior, with white hair slicked back, and magenta eyes. They were luminescent, like jewels. He had pale skin. Albino, maybe? Either way, he was yummy. Until, that is, he opened his mouth. "Oi, b*tch, who the hell are you?" He snarled and a smirk danced across his lips. I tried my best to ignore him, but he walked over to me and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. "Hey, new kid, I was f*cking talking to you!"

I wasn't going to take this, not from some guy I just met. "Kai, who are you, a**hole?"

He grinned deviously. "Fiesty, I like it. Name's Hidan."

"Well, Hidan, I would appreciate it if you would let go of me. Like, _now_." I shoved him away from me.

"Why you little wh-" He began, but was interuppted.

"Kai, Tsunade-sama will see you now." Shizune said. Hidan snickered bbehind me. "Hidan, dont get too cocky, you're nest, and I doubt Tsunade-sama will be happy to see you in her office _again_." He paled, and it was my turn to chuckle. The I turned towards her office. I took a deep breath and walk through the door. The first thing I saw was the smirk on Tsunade's face, which both surprised me and made me very nervous. She was busty and blond, with amber eyes and a blue diamond tatooed on her forehead.

"Kai, is it? First, let me say, welcome to our school. Now that that's over with… on to business. What did you do to deserve to be sent here by Orochimaru?" She didn't seem angry, just… amused?

"I made fun of his eyeliner and basically called him a gay pedophile to his face." She just looked at me for a second, then the corner of her mouth twitched. She snickered, which evolved into full out laughter. I got even more nervous… was she insane?

"You are definitely Anko's niece. I like you. As principle, though, its my job to punish you. So…." My nervousness heightened. "I'm going to keep you in his class. This way, it's a punishment for you, and entertainment for me."

"Uhm, okay? So, basically, youre letting me off? 'Cause let me tell you, that isn't punishment. That just gives me more of an opportunity to mock him. Just sayin'." She smiled.

"I know. Now, off you go, Shizune will give you a pass to your next class. Which is….?"

"Art." I said quickly. I love art, its my favorite subject. The true beauty of art lies in the changes it undergoes, from empty canvas to an amazing portrait, from a lump of clay to a stunning statuette, or a piece of wood into a petite puppet.

"Alright then. SHIZUNE!" Said woman poked her head through the door at the sound of her name. "Write a pass for Mitarashi-chan to art class, and send in Hidan"

"Hai"

"I swear that boy is in here almost as often as I am. and from what I've heard, he and your aunt know each other fairly well."

"Whoa, this b*tch is Anko-sensei's niece?" Hidan had just entered through the door behind us. His face was incredilous. "Damn, she's been talking about you all f*cking day. I gotta say, I'm f*cking disappointed. I was hoping you would be more f*cking sexy than this." He leered, his eyes flashed and his grin widened. I will admit, the effect wasn't... unpleasant. But his statement blinded me to that. I glanced at Tsunade, who nodded, consenting to "not see" the potentially violent thing I was about to do. Actually, there was no "potentially" about it. I smiled sweetly and walked over to him slowly. He grinned down at me. my smile turned malicious and I kicked him, hard, right where the sun don't shine. His knees buckled, and he hit the floor. I grinned down on him, and to my utter shock, he smiled back. I turned on my heel, called a farewell over my shoulder to Tsunade, and walked out the door. As I left I heard a word that would irratate me forever.

"Fiesty."

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><p><strong>AN: Gomen, gomen gomen! I'm very sorry that I didn't update sooner. I have been totally distracted lately, and the school library is closed for the year, complicating the process of my updating. Finals are coming up, I've been having social issues, and I know thats no excuse but still... Anywho, review please! They make me smile real big and want to update sooner!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter four! Woot! I love the reviews guys! Thanks a billion; they make me smile really big and stuff :D**

**I'm actually in class right now, deciding how to renegotiate the Treaty of Versaille. My partner is insane. He wants to blow everyone to smithereens and be done with it.**

**Partner: Chapter four hundred eighty nine. Woot woot my a**. My partner is a spastic nut job who writes notes on Word documents. **

**Me: Yeah… go away Jake. They love me, not you, and this isn't a note. It's a story. So XP**

**Anywho, he's gone now, so I'll do the disclaimer and get this over with.**

**I don't own Naruto. Not that I would actually want to, too much responsibility.**

Chaos. As soon as I walked into the art room, I nearly got nailed in the face with a wad of clay. I looked around for a teacher to hand my pass to. I dodged another blob, crumbled balls of paper, colored pencils and bits of who-knows-what as I walked over to the teacher's desk, where I found a small elderly lady smiling almost manically at the students' antics. She had her gray hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"Hello. And who might you be?" She smiled wider, her wrinkles deepening. She was kind of adorable, in an old person way.

"Mitarashi Kai. I just transferred here." I handed her my pass tentatively.

"Well, find a seat somewhere. I don't have many rules, but please don't destroy anything. I'm Chiyo, by the way." I looked around the room, and saw what affect her rules (or lack thereof), had on the others. I saw a kid I recognized from this morning in homeroom. The creepy-smile pale one, Sai, I think.

"Hello Sai. Mind if I sit with you?"

"Sakura says in situations like this I should smile and agree." He said, his face blank. He then gave me that odd fake smile and said "Yes, of course you can sit with me Kai." Wow…. Socially inept much? He had to rely on others for how to act? Oh well. Wait…

"Situations like what?" I cocked my head to the side in confusion.

"Well, Sakura-chan said when a pretty girl asks if they can sit with you, you say yes." He smiled again, and it was a little less forced, more… embarrassed?

I felt my face warm up slightly. "O-ookay… thanks? I think…."

"I guess I ought to think of a nickname for you… t-that is, if it's alright with you. I understand if you think it's weird. I just do for most of my friends."

"Oh, no, it's fine. I don't mind."

"Okay…. Sakura's Ugly and Naruto's D*ckless…" I started to get a little nervous… if this was what he nicknamed his friends… "Then you shall be… hm…"

"Well, while it's taking you forever to think of something to call her, I'm gonna take her away from you for a while, yeah." A new voice piped up from behind us, definitely masculine. I turned around and came face to face with a guy with gorgeous long blond hair that any girl would kill for, sparkling sky blue eyes, and a devious smirk that could make good girls go bad. Wow. He grabbed my arm and started dragging me away.

"W-wait a sec…. who are you, exactly?" I stuttered. I glanced over at Sai, who looked a little put out, to say the least. I felt bad and strained against the blond's grip, but he was strong, and I couldn't get free.

"Deidara, yeah. You're Kai, hm? Cute name." I gave in and let him drag me towards a boy with deep red hair, mocha brown eyes, and absolutely no expression on his face whatsoever. "This is Sasori, yeah. We need your help to settle a little debate, hm."

"And out of everyone here, you chose me why?"

"Simple, you're new and haven't been here long enough to get annoyed by us, yeah." He said "yeah" and "hm" a lot. A speech impediment, maybe? Actually, it was kind of endearing. Curiosity took over though, and I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what, yeah?"

"Say yeah after everything."

"I don't, yeah"

"Yeah, you do."

"Nuh-uh, yeah."

"Which is it, yeah or no?" He glared at me and pouted and the effect was absolutely…. Adorable! I giggled and he glared even more. "Aw, I'm sorry Deidara-kun. It's actually really cute the way you do that!"

His face flushed a little and he rushed to change the subject. "Anyway, the debate…. What is your view on art, hm?"

"Oh, well… uhm, shouldn't I know your points of view first? So I know what I'm getting into?"

Sasori stared blankly and said in a deep monotone, "Art is eternal, left for future generations to love."

"Nah, art is fleeting, a brief flash of color or light before it's gone, beauty in the instant it's there, yeah." He seemed adamant about this, and the far-off look in his eyes told me he wasn't entirely with us.

"Well… personally, I don't agree entirely with either of you." They both looked at me, Deidara obviously incredulous, and Sasori seemed curious. "The true beauty in art lies in the changes it goes through from beginning to end. The changes may be brief, or take ages, but that's what makes art amazing."

"I never thought of it like that. Hmm. An interesting point of view." Sasori said. I smiled faintly, glad he respected my point of view and didn't mock me. Deidara was still staring, silent, which definitely wierded me out. "Deidara, stop gaping," Sasori instructed. "You look like an idiot."

"S-sh-shut up, yeah!" He glared and pouted again, and I giggled.

"Dei-kun, you are just too adorable!" He blushed at the new nickname and I hugged him, still giggling.

The bell rang. I released him and looked at my schedule. Literature. Ick. "Uhm, either of you know where Kurenai-sensei's English class is?" Sai walked over and said that he did, and he would be happy to show me where it is. "Okay!" I grabbed his hand and ran to the door, turning at the last minute to wave to Sasori and Deidara. I froze when I saw them reach for something under their table: black hoodies with red clouds. Crap.

**YAY! Review please? And school's gonna let out soon, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update over vacation. I shall try though! Hmm... maybe if i use the public library's PC... I don't know... but I will try, dattebayo!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Five, yeah! I'm on a roll… I just posted number four so I decided to start on five with what time I have left in study hall. I just realized that I didn't have any of the Akatsuki in Biology with Pedo-sensei. I might change that. Crud. Anyways, now I'm gonna hafta upload in an even more roundabout way than before, because ever since FF changed the account setup, I can't access ANYTHING without going to the mobile version, which we all know you can't upload from. So. RAWRRR! **

Sai showed me where my Literature class was, and I almost wished he didn't. I was already tired of meeting new people and being helpless without the help of those I'd just met. Ino and Shikamaru were in there though, so I walked right over to them. Shikamaru looked up at me and smirked. Ino waved and giggled.

"So, Sai, huh? You guys would make a cute couple!" I felt heat rush to my face. She was… out of her mind. Insane. A schizo nut job. No way…. At least, I didn't think so. I really had no reason to be so adamantly against the idea, since we'd just met, but….

"No, Ino, no way. There's nothing going on there. At least, not like that there's not." I glanced over at Shikamaru as I said this, and somehow, it seemed like he was un-tensing. I might have imagined it though.

"If you're sure." She giggled again. That was going to get aggravating.

I looked around at the others in the gazed landed on another pair of boys, obviously Akatsuki by their hoodies. One of them had spiky… green? hair and half of his face was painted black. The other had orange hair, not quite as bright as mine but pretty close. His face was covered in piercings, three bars through his nose, snakebites, six earrings in each ear, plus an industrial bar in each. He had scleral* contacts in with six or so rings around his pupil, and his irises were completely gone; his entire eye was a light lavender. The effect on his face was probably supposed to be intimidating, but I thought he was hot. Just saying. Anyways…

Shikamaru noticed where I was looking and said "That's Pein and Zetsu. Pein's the leader of Akatsuki. Bad news. It's such a drag, the way every girl thinks they're so amazing."

Otherwise, Literature passed uneventfully, and I was on my way to Health with Ino as my guide. She wasn't in the class, however, Hinata and TenTen were. I sat with them and was getting to know them both better by teaching them to play "Never Have I Ever" before Kakashi-sensei showed up. Apparently, he's always late.

"Okay, my turn," I said. "Never have I ever…. gone skinny-dipping!" TenTen giggled and Hinata slowly put down a finger. We gaped at her in shock.

"H-hinata-chan, you've been skinny-dipping?" TenTen gasped. I couldn't believe it. Shy, cute Hinata went skinny-dipping? She blushed more. We decided to let her go, she was blushing so hard by now, we thought she would faint. "Okay, my tur-"

"Oi! B****!" An annoyingly familiar voice called from behind me. A pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind. I knew I should've sat in the seat properly. My face flushed red as Hidan lifted me out of my chair.

"HIDAN! Put me down! Let go! C'mon, please? Put me the hell down now!" I kicked and wriggled trying to get free, but he just held me tighter. We were causing quite a scene, Hinata looked terrified and TenTen looked pissed that he interrupted us.

"You know him?" She asked, surprised.

"Sadly, I met him in the office today when I got sent there during Pedo-sensei's class."

"Oh. Wait…. What did you do to get sent to the office?"

"I made fun of his guy-liner. And called him out for trying to get in Sasuke's pants."

"SERIOUSLY?" She started laughing so hard she fell out of her chair, and Hinata even smiled.

"Yeah, Tsunade-sama was pretty cool with it though, she didn't really punish me at all!"

"OI! B****es, I'm still here you know!"

"How could I freaking forget! You're still holding me! Put me down please?" He dropped me back in my chair. I pouted and glared at him, and he laughed. "It's not funny!" I smacked his arm repeatedly, making him laugh harder. Just then, Kakashi-sensei walked in.

"Hidan, stop irritating Kai. Sorry I'm late, I got sidetracked h-'' He was interrupted by a chorus of "yeah rights" and a single "bull s***" from the baka behind me. He gave Hidan a warning glare before starting his lecture. Apparently, I came at the perfect time. They were just starting sex ed. Oh joy.

Hidan sat behind me the whole period, poking me in the back, playing with my hair, and all around ticking me off. I tried my best to ignore him. I was doing fairly well, until he poked me in the ribs. I squeaked and jumped a little, and everyone in the class turned to stare at me. I blushed and threw a glare at him over my shoulder. He was chuckling under his breath at my squeak. Hey, it's not my fault I'm extremely ticklish.

The bell rang, and TenTen and Hinata led me off to lunch. "He so likes you," TenTen stated.

I stared at her incredulously; no way in heck was she right. Hidan didn't like me. We'd just met, and I can barely stand him. He was loud, obnoxious, masochistic, and just an all around jerk. Right? I mean, there was no way that he….

Speak of the devil. As soon as we entered the cafeteria, I saw Hidan chasing Deidara around two round tables, both filled with guys in the standard Akatsuki hoodies. I noted Itachi and Kisame sitting at one table with Sasori, a kid with an orange mask on (what was up with that?), Zetsu, and an empty chair. At the other table, there was a guy with darker skin and half his face covered with a mask, Pein, and a girl with blue hair, plus an empty chair. The masked guy from Pein's table stood up and grabbed Hidan by the hood, and slammed him down into the empty chair. Deidara stopped, panting, and sat in the empty chair next to Sasori. I giggled watching their antics, and TenTen tracked my gaze.

"They're always like that. Their behavior is so immature... but it seems... Hidan's not the only on crushing, ne? So which one is it?"

"D-don't be ridiculous! Why is everyone assuming I like someone? It's only my first day here! You guys are reading way too much into everything!" I stormed off to the lunch line, looking for any reason to get away from the bizarreness. I stood there alone for a while, hoping TenTen, Ino, and everyone else would just leave me be for a little while. I glanced back at them, and Sakura was holding Ino back, because she looked like she wanted nothing more than to come and drill me on how my day has gone, give me a run down of who's who in the cafeteria, and play matchmaker all at once. _Thank you, Sakura-chan!_

I turned around quickly, and walked forward...

….Straight into the guy with the piercings from Literature. I stumbled backwards and landed on my butt. _Ugh... why me?_I looked up at him, and our eyes met. He was almost completely expressionless, but there was a faint trace of amusement dancing in his eyes. Those contact lenses made his gaze all the more intense, and I found myself blushing profusely. He offered me his hand to help me up, and I grabbed it gratefully.

"Gomen-nasai. I wasn't paying attention. I'm Kai. And you are Pein-sama, correct? One of my friends pointed you out earlier."

He smiled faintly at the honorific (and possibly the creeper-ish fact that someone pointed him out to me). "That's right."

I nearly stumbled into him again when someone glomped me from behind. Pein steadied me and glared over my shoulder at the guy that nearly knocked me over. I turned around and there was that wierd guy with the mask.

"Tobi's sorry girl-chan! Tobi didn't mean to knock you over! Tobi just wanted to hug you!" the kid piped up. I assumed he was Tobi, and he was speaking in third was so childish. I liked him right away, he was too cute.

"Tobi, you idiot! Watch what you're doing! Sorry Kai-chan, Leader-sama. I tried to stop him." Deidara said, coming up behind Tobi.

"SEMPAI!" Tobi yelled, and Deidara and I both sweat-dropped. Tobi glomped Dei-kun, and we all went through the lunch line like that, Deidara trying to pry Tobi off, Pein staring at them perplexed, and me, laughing at them all.

I walked over to the tables where everyone from homeroom sat, and thanked Kami when the rest of lunch passed uneventfully.

***Scleral lenses cover the entire visible portion of your eye.**

**All righty, school is out. I will try to update as often as possible this summer. I posted a poll on my profile for you all to decide the final two, or three... or four... see, its too hard for me to choose! Here's how it will work: whoever gets the most votes will be the definite in the end, second most will be the other in the triangle who doesn't get the girl in the end. Though, depending on how the story develops, I might decide to change it. I will close the poll by chapter ten, or earlier, depending on how man vote and how close the winners are. Please vote!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Okay, so I checked out the poll on my page, and only three people voted! I have to admit, I'm disappointed. I have had 140 views this month… and I am positive most of them didn't review and/or even check the poll out! Not that I am complaining or blaming you guys, but I NEED HELP! ****LuckyLaTat**** and ****Ninja Trio's Best ****have been great helps to me and I love them, as I do all my reviewers and readers! I will be trying to get Kai to interact more with the other guys on the poll. Also, I am sorry it took me so long to get this up, but I have very limited internet access in the summer… but that's no excuse…**

**Disclaimer: Me no owny Naruto.**

When the bell rang after lunch, I followed Naruto to the gymnasium, along with almost everyone else in my homeroom, excluding Hinata, Shino and Choji. We walked out into the crush of the busy hallway and migrated to the other end, where the gym was located. I tagged along with Ino, Sakura, and TenTen to the locker room, where I picked a locker near all of theirs. They showed me where the spare uniforms were kept, since the school only had one gym teacher and classes were always co-ed. I grabbed my size shirt and pants (which were different [Medium and Small, respectively], due to my… being blessed in size in the northern hemisphere, and not so much the southern….yea… all boob no butt…. It's a little suckish) and went back to the bench by our lockers to change. I wasn't too fond of the uniform: orange booty shorts and a white baby tee with out school emblem on it. On the plus side, the booty shorts helped hide my… lack of lower endowment.

We left the locker room and joined the boys in a group, and I couldn't help but feel like half the guys were staring at me. (Ino would later point out that I was wrong… half of the boys weren't staring at me, they ALL were. I am sure she wasn't serious). Kiba and Naruto proved at least _they_ were by giving wolf-whistles as I walked out. I smacked Naruto in the back of the head.

"Dobe." I said as he pouted. Kiba laughed and I scowled at him, in response to which he backed up and held up his hands in defense, still laughing.

"S-sorry Kai-chan… It's just…" he paused to calm himself down and stop laughing. "It's just that you look cute in that uniform!" I blushed and looked away. Shikamaru glanced at me and I decided he and Neji would be my defense.

"If you two bakas are gonna be like that, I'm hanging with these two!" I flounced over to them and latched onto their arms. Shika sighed.

"Troublesome…" I giggled. Neji looked at me, bemused.

"Really? You're going to use me to get away from those two?"

"Rather you than Lee." I whispered and pointed to aforementioned weirdo, who was hugging who I assumed to be the gym teacher, Gai-sensei, with tears of joy cascading down his face. The teacher, to my horror, was like an adult version of Lee, with a larger nose and smaller, but equally creepy, eyes. Neji sweatdropped, and before he could respond, a familiar long haired blond was walking over to me, grinning.

"Kai-chan, hm!" Deidara was smirking and I giggled and opened my arms for a hug. He willingly obliged and embraced me. "C'mon, I want you to meet some people, yeah!" I followed him to where a cluster of four of the boys from his table at lunch was standing. I recognized Sasori and waved, and he smiled at me. The one I was told was Kisame during Geometry looked shocked that Sasori smiled. I also recognized the Itachi, the other was the strange, masked, dark-skinned boy.

"Kai-chan, this is Kisame…"

"Hey!" Kisame grinned widely. I giggled and responded in kind.

"Hiya!"

"Itachi…." Said boy nodded stoically and _hn_ed. I smiled and held out my hand. He glanced down at it and then back up at me. Then, slowly, he clasped my hand and shook it once.

"Mitarashi Kai, nice to meet you Itachi!"

"…And Kakuzu." He stared at me with eerie yellow eyes.

"Hello." He said plainly.

Undaunted, I let out a chipper "Hi!" He just stared at me some more.

Gai-sensei blew a whistle then and got everyone together, having just then finished his hug fest with Lee. "Right then, my youthful students! Today, we are playing Spiderball! This youthful game is essentially team dodgeball, but with more that two teams and free reign over the gym. Rules are simple: Don't hit your teammates, no aiming for the face, and once you are hit, you sit down. The team of the last person standing wins! Play fair and remain youthful! Now, to make this interesting and to test your youthful teamwork skills, I will choose your teams!" A collection of groans was heard as he began to read off the teams of three. They went like this:

TenTen, Lee, and Neji.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sai

Itachi, Kisame, and Kakuzu

Shikamaru, Ino, and a girl named Karin

Deidara, Sasori, and a…shim named Haku. (I could've sworn he was a girl, if he wasn't wearing a boy's uniform and hadn't come out of the boys' locker room.

Sasuke (ugh), a guy name Juugo and another guy named Suigetsu

And, last but not least, Kiba, a boy named Sora, and me

Kiba and Sora just stood on either side of me, glaring at each other. I sighed. This was gonna be fun. I ran my gaze over the other teams, trying to figure out which would be the best to make an alliance with. I decided to go ask Sasori, since I knew him and I wanted to see his reaction to my invite.

"Oi, Sasori-san! C'mere!" He jogged over at my call. "You wanna make an alliance?"

"Is that allowed?"

"Gai-sensei never said it wasn't!" I grinned mischievously.

"Alright. I'll go tell my team." As he walked away, I turned to my team to do the same. There were no objections, and soon the game began. Sora got hit pretty quickly, as did Naruto and Kisame. I pelted a foam ball at Ino laughing as she stuck her tounge out at me when it hit. Dodging to the right, I avoided a missile from TenTen and sent another one flying at Lee. He went down. I turned to see where Kiba was and the rest of my 'alliance'. Haku was out, Kiba had just hit Juugo, and Deidara had somehow managed to hit Shikamaru from across the gym while he was busy avoiding a ball from Sai. Dei-kun's long distance skills amazed me. Sai then hit TenTen, to which Neji retaliated, striking him out. Kakuzu hit Karin, who was too busy staring at Sasuke to notice he was aiming for her. Suigetsu nailed Kakuzu. I barely dodged a ball from Neji. Itachi whacked Sasori. Sasuke got Deidara. I dodged a projectile from Itachi and stuck my tounge out at him. He paused for a moment, confused. That was all Sasuke needed to knock him down. Now it was just him and me.

I reached for the nearest ball, then grabbed two more. He already had one and just stared at me for a second before hurling it. I ducked down and narrowly missed being hit. I threw one back at him which he neatly dodged. I glared as he ran to the next ball. I assaulted him with my second ball, missing by inches. He reached down to get the ball, and in frustration I tossed the last one at him. To everyone's shock, especially mine, it hit him. It hit him good. Right on his butt.

Everyone busted out laughing at the look of surprise on his face, except Karin. Gai-sensei blew the whistle, signaling the end of the game and sending us to change. Ino and TenTen were laughing so hard they could barely stand. Sakura was chuckling and congratulated me on a shot well aimed.

They were still laughing as they led me to History with Iruka-sensei.

**Again, my fabulous readers, I am sorry for the delay!And brief explanation on the teams: I realized that without those I didn't have in her gym class, they could not be in their normal squads. I tried to do that to keep it parallel to the actual story... but then I couldn't. I apologize to all fans of Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin (although who could be a fan of the last one, I don't know), because they will probably not be that important in the story. Sora and Haku might, however... I haven't decided yet... I tend to just go with the flow of ideas and not really think the story through before I publish it... As always, review.**

**One last thing: I may be publishing another story in a few months that I started on my Quizilla account and abandoned because very few people were reading it. I think I would get more readers here... but that's maybe, not a definite. **

**'Kay I lied. This is the last thing: PLEASE VOTE ON MY POLL!**

**For now, sayonara!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey y'all!**** I'm back and bringing a new chappie! I'm much happier with the amount of votes I've got. But there's a tie for first, so keep voting! Another shout-out to LuckyLaTat, because her stories are amazing and it's her support (and that of my other reviewers, of course) that keeps me updating! I highly recommend her stories! **

**On with the disclaimer, by my sister!**

**Ally: *confused* I dunno what to say…**

**Me: Just tell them I don't own Naruto.**

**Ally: Why should I when you just did?**

**Me: …**

History was lame. Just saying. I nearly fell asleep three times. At least the teacher, Iruka-sensei, didn't seem to mind my blatant dislike of his class.

"Get out your notebooks and open up to the last notes we took on the Japanese involvement in World War Two." Those were the first words out of his mouth when the bell rang. No, "This is our new student" bullpoopie. _I think I'm gonna like him,_ was my first opinion of the guy. The class, however, is another story.

I pulled a face at the current topic and snorted.

"Something wrong, Mitarashi-chan?" He asked. "Do you dislike what we are currently studying?"

"Not that I particularly dislike it, it's just, history is history. It's over. Why do we have to learn something that happened that long ago? It's not like it's affecting us now."

"Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it." He replied sagely. I didn't respond. Looking around, I noticed Shikamaru was in this class. He was obviously zoned, about to fall asleep at his desk. I decided it would be a good idea to follow suit, only half-listening to the lecture, which was all I really needed in history. I didn't much care for the subject, but it was easy for me. Maybe that's why I didn't like it. Maybe it was too easy, not enough of a challenge. Oh well.

The bell rang what seemed an eternity later, and I got directions from Shikamaru to the Large Group Instruction room (hereafter called the LGI) for study hall.

I walked into the mini-auditorium and was surprised to see Aunt Anko sitting behind the desk up front. Apparently, ISS proctors were also study hall proctors. Sweet. I headed over to her desk to find out where I was seated, since it appeared people had assigned seats. Why else would Kisame, Deidara, and Hidan willingly have seats on opposite sides of the room?

"Ah, Oba-san, where do I sit?" She looked up at me and smiled faintly.

"Over there, please." She pointed to a seat next to the aisle, two rows down on the opposite side of Hidan. "Before you go though… How's the first day going? Anyone giving you any trouble?" She looked slightly concerned, and I couldn't help but grin at the rare expression.

"It's been great! I've had no problems at all. I've made lots of new friends."

She smiled again, relieved. "Alright. Go sit down so I can take attendance."

I headed to the seat designated to me and that's when the fun began.

Something small whizzed past my head and hit Kisame, who was near the front, in the head. He picked it up and called out "Hey Anko, someone's throwing stuff." She just glanced up at him from her attendance chart before continuing her work.

Something else flew down the aisle, missing Hidan and hitting the chair in front of him. It bounced off and landed on the floor. I snickered at the irritated expression on his face. Then one hit me. I whipped around and glared at Hidan, who was chuckling. He shook his head and pointed towards the back, where Deidara was smirking. He gestured to Kisame, who laughed. I stuck my tongue out at him. He winked, and my face flushed a bit. I picked up the thing that hit me. It was…. A piece of dogfood. Wait, DOGFOOD?

I glared at Hidan, then threw it at him. It plunked off of his head then rolled down the aisle to the front. Soon, there was an all-out dogfood fight, little pellets, flying in every direction. I noticed Naruto in the middle of the room, and threw one at him, getting him involved in the insanity he so obviously wanted to be a part of. Everytime Oba-san looked up from her work due to the tapping noise of the pellets hitting the plastic chairs, we all stopped and sat perfectly normal.

She got suspicious though. She looked up at one point, narrowed her eyes and got up. She began walking through the aisles. Eventually, she found a piece and looked around to see where it came from. She was bemused, wondering why the heck someone would bring dogfood to school, of all things. She was near me. When she turned her back, I threw the piece I had hidden in my hand at Deidara. She whirled around and glanced at me. I just gazed up at her innocently until she gave up her search and headed back to her desk.

The war continued. And not one of us got caught.

When the bell rang for the last period of the day, everyone involved burst out through the double doors laughing hysterically.

"Who's idea was that?" I finally gasped out.

They were all laughing too hard to respond verbally, so Kisame and Hidan just pointed at Deidara.

"Why the hell did you bring dogfood?" Naruto asked.

"I… don't really know, yeah." He admitted. This just caused us to laugh harder.

When we all calmed down I said, "Oba-san had them put me in choir… why, I don't really know. Do any of you guys know the way?"

Naruto nodded and explained that he was in that class too. He said he needed the credit. I think it was a cover up so the other guys didn't think he was a wuss. Deidara didn't seem to think it was odd at all. In fact, he said he wanted to take it this year, but couldn't. Hidan, being Hidan, laughed and called him a fag. Kisame merely raised an eyebrow. I smacked Hidan upside the head for being a buttmunch.

With that, the five of us parted ways, and I was headed to the lyrical art of music, and its constant state of change.

**Well, how was it? I had three ideas in my head for it, and this one seemed the best. It's not the best chapter though. Oh yeah, the whole dogfood thing? That actually happened in one of my study halls. Some senior decided to be an idiot and start a dogfood war. It was entertaining though.**

**Anywho, review and vote! And check out my profile for some ideas I have for future fics, and tell me what you think! For the love of this bunny!**

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><strong>**(^x^)  
><strong>**(\_/ )**


	9. Chapter 8

**ALRIGHT! Next chappie! I'll tell you now, the current poll leader is Hidan with 5 votes, followed really closely by Deidara with 4 (Poll wise, they are tied, add in the reviews, Hidan is winning). In third place is Kisame with 2 (I saw this and I was like O_O! Cos I didn't expect that at all…) and Itachi, Pein, Kiba, Sai, and Naruto are all tied up with 1 vote each. Sasori, Tobi, Shikamaru, Gaara, Kankuro and Haku have none. I added Gaara, Kankuro (who I kinda forgot about entirely so far, and am really HATING myself for D:) and Haku to the poll, because I am going to work with them a little more, but I am not sure if I can make it work. Also, I have ideas for other fics on my page, please check them out and tell me what you think! **

**Disclaimer: Brandi doesn't own Naruto. Nor does she want to. Brandi also doesn't own Wicked or anything affiliated with it mentioned in this chapter. Though she did buy a stuffed flying monkey that she named BoBo… Brandi has fun talking in third person…. She'll probably do it more often….**

Naruto and I walked down to the choir room together, and I decided it was time I got a reason for Sasuke's actions in biology earlier. Naruto seemed to know and get along with just about everyone, so I rationalized that he would be the one to ask.

"Oi, Naruto-kun, I have a question."

"What's up?" He looked at me and cocked his head to the side a bit. Kami, that made him look so CUTE with the way his big blue eyes sparkled innocently. I forced down the faint blush I felt coming on and pressed on, determined not to be distracted.

"Do you know Uchiha Sasuke personally?"

"Ah, what did the teme do now?" He asked knowingly. "Did he try to get back at you for gym class?"

"Er, no… that was sorta my way of getting back at him… See, I don't know why, but he was really hostile towards me in biology. As soon as I walked into the room, he glared at me. I don't even know him and he was a jerk… I was wondering if you knew why?"

"Sasuke doesn't really like new people very much. Heck, he doesn't like most people he knows. He just tends to be an a** to everyone, even those he does like. Plus, from what I heard, you blacklisted yourself by that little conversation you had with Pedo-sensei. Don't expect him to warm up to you anytime soon."

"Great…" I muttered.

"Oh yeah, he's in choir too by the way. He likes to excel at everything, and I mean everything, no matter how wimpy it may seem to others."

"I see… " I said as we entered the choir room. Metal folding chairs were lined up in arcs on the tiers. An older man with long white hair and a lecherous grin stood in front.

"That's our assistant principal and stand-in choir director, Jiraiya-sensei. He's a pervert who writes dirty books in his spare time." Naruto explained, and I sweatdropped.

"Ah, a lovely new student! It will be a pleasure getting to know you! And what part do you sing, alto or soprano?"

"Eh…" I was a little put-off by his… forwardness.

"You don't know? No matter, we have ways of finding out!" I was scared now…. Very scared. I didn't want to know how he planned to 'find out'. "You shall sing the melody line of a song from the musical Wicked!" Phew, I was sure it was going to involve something… worse, to put it lightly.

"Alright, what song?" I loved this musical! I was suddenly very excited.

"Well, either Popular or Defying Gravity… you choose."

"Uh, Defying Gravity is a duet…."

"True…. Alright, if you want to do that one, I shall assign you a partner. Is that okay?"

"Sure…?" This guy still wierded me out.

"OKAY! Temari, you'll be her partner!"

"Whatever…" A girl with dirty blond hair pulled back into four spiky ponytails stood up and walked towards the front. She seemed bored. She smirked at me once she was standing next to me. "Sabaku Temari, nice to meet you."

"Mitarashi Kai." I smiled. I liked her already. She was like a female Shikamaru. "Do you want to sing the part of Glinda or Elphaba?"

"I'll do Glinda. You should do Elphaba because you are the the one being placed, not me." I nodded, understanding her explanation right away. "Do you want us to do the speaking parts?" She directed this question to Jiraiya-sensei, who nodded his consent.

"Begin!" Jiraiya-sensei pressed a button on a remote, and the music began to play from the speakers in the corners of the room.

Temari started.

"Elphaba - why couldn't you have stayed calm for  
>once, instead of flying off the handle!"<p>

She switched to singing. Her voice was a sweet and clear alto.

"I hope you're happy!  
>I hope you're happy now<br>I hope you're happy how you  
>Hurt your cause forever<br>I hope you think you're clever!"

Then it was my turn. Suppressing the butterflies dancing in my stomach at the thought of performing, I just sang.

"I hope you're happy  
>I hope you're happy, too<br>I hope you're proud how you  
>Would grovel in submission<br>To feed your own ambition!"

Her voice joined mine in a sweet harmony as we continued the song.

"So though I can't imagine how  
>I hope you're happy right now"<p>

Then I had to stop again when she began to speak before switching back into song.

"Elphie, listen to me. Just say you're sorry:  
>You can still be with the Wizard<br>What you've worked and waited for  
>You can have all you ever wanted"<p>

I spoke the first two words, and then I let go of the stage fright and began the next verse, going all out, enjoying the swirling, changing notes blending perfectly to create a masterpiece.

" I know:  
>But I don't want it -<br>No - I can't want it  
>Anymore:<p>

Something has changed within me  
>Something is not the same<br>I'm through with playing by the rules  
>Of someone else's game<br>Too late for second-guessing  
>Too late to go back to sleep<br>It's time to trust my instincts  
>Close my eyes: and leap!<p>

It's time to try  
>Defying gravity<br>I think I'll try  
>Defying gravity<br>And you can't pull me down!"

Temari cut in as Glinda trying to get Elphaba to go back to being complicit with the will of the wizard.

"Can't I make you understand?  
>You're having delusions of grandeur"<p>

I sang again, switching to speaking as I addressed Glinda, then back to singing as I tried to convince her.

"I'm through accepting limits  
>''cause someone says they're so<br>Some things I cannot change  
>But till I try, I'll never know!<br>Too long I've been afraid of  
>Losing love I guess I've lost<br>Well, if that's love  
>It comes at much too high a cost!<br>I'd sooner buy  
>Defying gravity<br>Kiss me goodbye  
>I'm defying gravity<br>And you can't pull me down:  
>Glinda - come with me. Think of what we could<br>do: together.

Unlimited  
>Together we're unlimited<br>Together we'll be the greatest team

There's ever been  
>Glinda -<br>Dreams, the way we planned 'em"

Then once again Temari was in as Glinda, convinced of Elphaba's beliefs, before we harmonized once again.

"If we worked in tandem."

"There's no fight we cannot win  
>Just you and I<br>Defying gravity  
>With you and I<br>Defying gravity"

Once again, I was on my own as Temari faded out.

"They'll never bring us down!  
>Well, are you coming?"<p>

Glinda stayed behind, singing on her own, and Elphaba understood, and our voiced blended one last time.

"You too  
>I hope it brings you bliss"<p>

"I really hope you get it  
>And you don't live to regret it<br>I hope you're happy in the end  
>I hope you're happy, my friend:"<p>

Temari gestured to the rest of the class, and as I started the end of the song, the rest of the class joined in as the citizens, cheering and chanting for the end of the Witch.

"So if you care to find me  
>Look to the western sky!<br>As someone told me lately:  
>'Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!'<br>And if I'm flying solo  
>At least I'm flying free<br>To those who'd ground me  
>Take a message back from me<br>Tell them how I am  
>Defying gravity<br>I'm flying high  
>Defying gravity<br>And soon I'll match them in renown  
>And nobody in all of Oz<br>No Wizard that there is or was  
>Is ever gonna bring me down!"<p>

"I hope you're happy!"

"Look at her, she's wicked!  
>Get her!"<p>

"Bring me down!"

"No one mourns the wicked  
>So we've got to bring her"<p>

"Ahhh!"

"Down!"

The rest of the choir finished, and the song was done. They all sat in silence afterwards, staring at me. Naruto's mouth was hanging open. Even Sasuke looked impressed. But I didn't notice. I was still caught in the moment, reveling in the world of song, reflecting on the words. Then, little by little, the choir members started clapping, and Temari patted me on the back and grinned as I returned to the world outside of Wicked. "You did amazing!" She told me. I flushed at the applause. Then, once again, it was silent. I stood there waiting, the quiet killing me.

Jiraiya-sensei cleared his throat. "Well, you're a soprano." And the final bell of the day rang.

A boy with brown hair and brown eyes walked up to Temari and I with Naruto.

"Kai, this is my brother, Kankuro." Temari said, introducing us.

"You've got a helluva voice, you single?" He asked, earning a glare from Naruto and a smack from Temari.

I laughed. Right now, I sure as hell felt like I was defying gravity.


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey y'all! I am back with yet another installation of "It's Only High School After All"! And I am excited. Yes, I am thoroughly excited. Why, you ask? Because I had a totally AWESOMESAUCE idea for this chapter, that's why! And you all will have to read it to figure out what it is! **

**Disclaimer: I… don't… own… Naruto….**

I walked with Kankuro, Temari, and Naruto out to the parking lot. While I waited for Anko, the brother and sister waited for Gaara, and Naruto waited for Sakura, who he was walking home with.

Gaara eventually showed up, and I noticed his hair was a shade darker than Sasori's. He stared at me when he first arrived, and we stood there somewhat awkwardly until Naruto piped up and saved me, once again.

"Hey, Gaara! This is Kai, the new student! She's really cool!" I blushed a little at his praise and Gaara smiled very faintly at his antics.

"Hi! As he said, I'm Kai. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." His voice held a deep timbre to it, and it seemed to suit him perfectly. I noticed something I hadn't in Geometry. He was wearing very thick eyeliner. And unlike Pedo-sensei, it looked awesome on him. I don't think anyone would dare make fun of his guyliner. He looked like he could kick anyone's butt in a fight.

"Uh, this is gonna sound really weird…. but can I hug you?" I asked. I couldn't help it, he looked so cute. In a glaring kitten kind of way. You know, like when you gush about how cute a kitty looks, and it just glares at you like "touch me and I claw your face off, you stupid human"? Yeah, that kind of cute.

He said nothing for a minute, just stared at me with a "wtf?" look on his face. I pouted a little and looked up at him through my eyelashes, giving my best puppy face. He sighed and held out his arms, giving me all the permission I needed.

"Yay!" I hugged him and giggled a little before letting go, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

"Hey, can I get a hug too?" Kankuro asked, looking a little envious.

"Nope!" I giggled. He gaped before starting to chase me around the sidewalk.

"If you won't give me a hug, I shall have to steal one!" He exclaimed. He continued to chase me around, weaving in and out of the students headed to their cars. Temari and Gaara looked bemused, while Naruto snickered. Sakura joined them while he was chasing me and stared at us just like Gaara and Temari were.

Kankuro finally caught up with me and grabbed me around the waist and swung me around in a circle. "Kankuro, noooo! Stop!" I giggled, "I'm getting dizzy!" He laughed maniacally until Anko came out of the school and looked at us strange. He immediately released me. An awkward silence descended once again.

"Well, looks like its time for us to head out, huh Sakura?" Naruto broke in, once again my savior.

"Yup, let's go!" She grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

"C'mon Kankuro, Gaara and I are ready to leave!" Temari called, and they headed over to a red Mustang GT convertible. Temari hopped in the driver seat and lowered the roof while Gaara got in the passenger side door. Kankuro forwent the door and just hopped over the side into the back.

Anko and I headed over to her car in silence. Once in, she broke the tension with ease.

"So you did make friends. Great! That means I can give you my idea."

"I told you I made friends! Anyways, what's your idea?"

"Well, since your new here, I figured a great way to get closer to the people you met today would be…." She trailed off, attempting to leave me in suspense. It worked.

"Would be to….?" I encouraged. Geez, why couldn't she just tell me?

"…Would be to throw a party! Invite whoever you want! We can have it this Friday. It's Tuesday, so they'll have enough time to get permission, and we'll have plenty of time to plan it. Since it's always warm and sunny here in Konoha, you guys could use the pool!" That's right, Aunt Anko has a pool. It's an above-ground pool that she built a deck around. I think she said she got the pool for like $800 on Craig's List… It's nothing extremely fancy, only four or five feet deep, but it's big. We're not rich, but since she lived alone for so long, she had money to spare on a small luxury.

"Seriously? You're not messing with me right?" I gaped at her wide-eyed.

"Sure, why not? This'll be fun!" She chuckled.

I waited till we were home and out of the car to glomp her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squealed.

"Okay, okay, do you have any homework?" She asked, prying me off of her.

"Nope!"

"Then, go do whatever it is you feel you need to do to plan this thing. Then show me your plans, so I can decide how extreme some of them are and which to nix."

I giggled, knowing she was only partly serious. Then I ran upstairs to write the guest list. Those I planned on inviting were: The entire Akatsuki (even the girl I had yet to meet), Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Neji, TenTen, Lee, Kankuro, Gaara, and Temari. And, once I thought about it a little, I decided to invite Sasuke. I really needed to improve my standing with him.

I would bring my IPod down and hook it up to the outdoor speakers Anko had. My IPod was my life. It had all kinds of music on it, from Avenged Sevenfold to Flo Rida to Cotton Eyed Joe to Lady Gaga. So no matter what, I should've been all right with music.

For food, I could ask Aunt Anko to order a few pizzas, then we could go out and buy some sodas and chips and stuff. I would make brownies and cupcakes. And of course, there had to be dango. And pocky. If there's one thing I like as much as dango, it's pocky. We could set up a table outside and leave the food buffet style. I checked the weather forecast on my small TV in my room. _Good, it should be nice_. The party could go all night, moving inside when it got too late, and if they wanted to go home early, they could. If not, they could crash in the living room or the basement which had been redone into basically a second living room, except that's where we had the video games and the pool table (which she also got from Craig's List, for $250). Like I said, she wasn't rich, but living alone had its perks. I had brought a bunch of things with me from my old house after my dad died. He used to let me host the cast parties for my old school's drama club, so as time went by, I accumulated a lot of things to make parties more fun. I had a bunch of really weird lights, one of which looked like "Barney on acid" as one of my old friends put it. It was purple and green and it moved like a lava lamp, but it hung on the wall. I had a strobe light and a mini disco ball which Anko let me hang from the ceiling of the basement. There was lots of room down there, so we could do just about anything.

Speaking of drama club, I wondered if Konoha High had one. I'd ask Anko sometime.

She called me down for dinner and I took my outline of plans with me to run them by her.

As we sat feasting on soba and miso soup, I showed her the ideas and the guest list.

"All night? I don't know, Kai… I might not be able to stay awake that long. I'm not as young as I used to be." I could see that she was joking. Her eyes twinkled and gave away the fact that she liked the idea.

"You're only 35! And besided, we could make lots of coffee to help you stay awake. C'mon, it'll be fuuuuuuuuun!" I said the last bit in a sing-song voice. She laughed and gave in.

"Are you sure about the guest list? Do you really want to invite the Akatsuki? They're troublemakers."

"Yes, I'm sure I want to invite them. They were all really nice to me today, even Hidan."

She sighed. "Alright, I'll trust your judgment on this. But if any of them cause any issues, they're out, got it?" I nodded vigorously. "This party will be one hundred percent supervised, and there will be no alcohol. I'll help you make the invitations, if you'd like." I paused, my mouth full of soba noodles, then shook my head and swallowed.

"No thank you oba-chan. Invitations seem a little... formal. For something like a birthday or Halloween party. This party's gonna stay really casual and cool. Plus, if anyone needs to ask me anything outside of school, I can just give them our number."

"Alright. Whatever you say, hon." I grinned at the last part. She really wasn't that bad.

**And that's a wrap! Now that her first day is done, I am not going to write a chapter for every class or two she has in a day, because that would get boring fast. I will write about the important stuff. The previous chapters were just so you guys could get an idea about her schedule and meet the important people. Once again, review, vote, and check out my profile and give me some feedback on the ideas I have up there for other stories, PLEASE! I'll probably close the poll soon, so hurry up and vote so you can get your say in who she ends up with!**

**Oh yeah, I'll be going on vacation soon, so might not be able to update for the next few weeks... sorry for any inconvenience.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Guess what I got for my birthday? I got a laptop! And you might be wondering "Why should I care?" Well, I'll tell you why; it means I can update sooner! BOOYAH!**** Anywho, the current official poll standings are as follows: Deidara- 7, Hidan- 6, Itachi- 2, Kisame-2, Pein- 1, Naruto- 1, Sai- 1, Gaara- 1, Shikamaru- 1, and Kiba- 1. HOWEVER with the messages and reviews, Hidan and Deidara are tied. As of tonight, the pokk is closed! ****Thank you to Ninja Trio's Best and Sukaretto Miyuki for informing me of my double post! I have fixed it!**

**DISCLAIMER: Although it's my birthday, I did not recieve the copyright to Naruto, therefore, I don't own it!**

The next day, I began the long process of inviting everyone. Well, it wasn't really long, considering I saw most of my new friends in homeroom. When I walked into the room, all of them turned to look at me. Once again, Kiba whistled, and once again, I blushed bright. I glared at him a little, but there was no actual feeling behind it. He knew this, possibly because of the faint upturning at the corner of my mouth.

"Looking good, Kai!" He grinned broadly, and my blush intensified. Naruto nodded in quick agreement. Shikamaru smiled and nodded a little.

"You look absolutely youthful, Kai!" Lee enthused. I smiled at him and everyone else, thanking them all for their compliments, both verbal and silent. I did have a little extra time to focus on my outfit today. I wore black tights under a tutu that was black with ice blue trim, and a tee shirt with little neon colored chibi skulls printed all over it. I once again had on my favorite vans. I was also able to spend a little more time on my hair and makeup today. I straightened my bangs and pulled my hair up into two messy buns, one on each side of my head, kind of like TenTen's, but not as tidy. I had black eyeliner on my lower lid and tearline, with a thin amount of it on my upper eyelid. I also had neon blue eye shadow on, which I personally thought it made my eyes look a little less emerald, and more like a sea green. Hey, I didn't get to spend much time getting ready yesterday, so I was compensating for it today.

"They're right you know!" Ino said, "You look fabulous!"

"Thanks you guys. While I seem to have your attention, I just wanted to say that Oba-chan said I could have a party on Friday, and I could invite whoever I wanted. So, you're all invited!"

"Really Kai-chan? Everyone?" Naruto asked. I laughed and nodded when Sakura whacked him on the back of the head again.

"She said all of us you idiot!"

"Yeah, Naruto, everyone. I wouldn't have it any other way. After all, you're all my new friends! The party will start at four, and it's all night! I have everything planned out already!" I grinned and hugged him. Everyone seemed pleased with the invitation, even Neji. "Oh, yeah, I have a pool too, so bring your bathing suits."

The bell rang, and before I left with TenTen, Hinata grabbed my arm gently. "Ah… K-Kai-chan? Will the party be supervised? Because if it's not, I don't think my father would allow me to go…" She seemed slightly embarrassed, and I felt bad for her.

"Don't worry Hina-chan. My aunt will be there the whole night. If your dad has questions, he can call her." I gave her Oba-chan's number. TenTen smiled and waited patiently while I reassured Hinata, who was blushing faintly at her nickname, before we left for Geometry. I would invite Gaara then, and Itachi and Kisame.

I told TenTen and Neji I would be with them then, but I needed to talk to a few people. They seemed unconcerned enough when I walked over to Gaara. He seemed somewhat surprised when I invited him, but agreed to come nonetheless. He even smiled a little, I am sure of it.

"Yay! I was hoping you'd say yes!" I said, smiling. It seemed to me that the kids at this school had caused a constant smile to be pasted to my face. It was a nice change of pace from before. Honestly though, it made me feel a little guilty, to be able to smile so soon after my father's death. But at the same time, I was grateful. The ability to feel happy was a blessing, when most people would be wallowing in depression in my situation. "Thank you, Gaara-san."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because you made me smile. And for that, I am thankful." He paused for a moment, and then nodded, a pale ghost of a smile on his lips.

After that, I said my farewell, and headed over to Itachi and Kisame. Neji looked a little anxious, but TenTen seemed like she almost expected it. I told the boys about the party, and Kisame grinned in response, while Itachi looked faintly bemused. Very faintly. Like, blink-and-you'll-miss-it.

"Sure, I'll be there! Whaddya say Itachi?"

"Why are you inviting me?" He asked. I realized then that it was the first time I had heard him speak. His voice matched his expression. Continuous, but not at all boring. It was like listening to a shadow, trying to decipher it's mysteries.

"Because I want to get to know you guys." I said, and it was true. That was why I was inviting anyone, really. To get to know them better.

"Hn…" Itachi paused for a drawn out moment. "Alright." He conceded.

"Yush! Victory for Kai!" I did my little happy dance. They stared at me as if….. as if I was Tobi. "See you later guys!" And with that, I skipped over to where Neji and TenTen were sitting. And, for the most part, I actually managed to pay attention today.

As soon as I walked into Biology, the room got silent, the students waiting to see what I would do next. Pedo-sensei glared icily at me, as if yesterday was my fault. Okay, so most of it was. But he started it. Things only got more silent and awkward as I walked over to Sasuke. He glared up at me from his seat.

"Um, Sasuke-san?"

"What do you want?" He snapped. I was a bit taken aback, though I knew this wouldn't be easy.

"Uh, I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of the whole class. I only meant to irritate Sensei. Because honestly, I don't know about you, but he creeps me out. And for gym class… I wasn't intending to hit you where I did… that was accidental. Can we start over? The right way?"

He just stared at me for a moment, suspicious. After a moment though, he gave a curt nod. "Fine."

"And if you want… I'm having a party Friday night. You can come. I have a pool. Naruto will be there."

His guard went right back up at the mention of Naruto's name before he forced himself to relax. I really didn't know why, and I wasn't about to ask. "Alright." With that, he turned away, and I took it as my signal to leave.

The rest of the period was spent as a staring (glaring) contest every time Pedo-sensei looked away from the board.

As soon as I walked into the art room, I glomped Deidara "DEIDEI-KUN!" He put his arms out to stop me but we toppled to the floor, with me on top, our noses touching. My face heated up to an extreme level and his was cherry red. We stayed there for a moment, frozen. Sasori sighed, stood us up and separated us.

"G-gomen nasai, Deidara-kun." I stuttered, still blushing.

"It's alright, yeah." He smirked, at ease again. "Besides, it's not like I disliked it." His smirk grew a little lecherous, and I blushed more. Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Knock it off Deidara, you're embarrassing her." Deidara did his adorable pout, and I almost did a fangirl squeal. Honestly, he was too cute!

"Hey you guys? I'm having a party on Friday, do you wanna come?"

"Aw hell yeah, yeah! I'll be there for sure!" Deidara whooped. I giggled.

"Sure, why not? Someone has to keep an eye on him."

"YAY!" I hugged them both. "Oh yea…. Bring your swimsuits, we have a pool!" I didn't miss the fact that Deidara's smile grew even more at the prospect, but I paid it no mind. I figured he liked swimming.

In Literature, I was a little more hesitant. Okay, a lot more hesitant. I mean, who was I, a newbie at this school, inviting the leader of its most dangerous gang to a party? I was nothing. What if I embarrassed myself? I wouldn't have been surprised if he declined. And that Zetsu kid was just creepy. He looked like he would eat me….

Why was I worried? I had never been nervous about talking to someone before, why would I start now? I would not humiliate myself. They were just guys. Well, Pein was… I wasn't sure about Zetsu. Ah well, I was gonna do it. I said I would, and I would.

"Ah… Pein-sama? Zetsu-san?" They turned to look at me. Pein looked patient. "Sorry if I am interrupting anything, but I was wondering… I'm having a party on Friday… and I wanted to know if you wanted to come?"

They were silent for a moment. Then Zetsu said, "Who **the hell** are-" before Pein cut him off.

"We would be happy to come." It took me a moment to register his words, because I was mulling over Zetsu's voice. It started out normal, but then it suddenly got deeper and somehow darker, if its possible for a voice to be dark….

When it finally hit me that Pein had accepted my invitation, I gaped open mouthed for a second before I finally regained my composure. "T-that's great! I look forward to seeing you there!" I bowed my head a little before blasting him with a huge smile and walking to my seat with Ino and Shikamaru.

"Let me guess… you invited them to the party?" Shikamaru asked, sound totally unsurprised, and a little peeved too.

"Hai, I did. I'm inviting the entire Akatsuki. Why?" I was confused. Why did he sound so upset?

"Never mind…"

"He's just miffed that you're inviting more boys to the party, that's all." Ino winked and nudged me lauging. I laughed nervously in response and was relieved when the awkwardness was ended by the Kurenai-sensei's lesson on Shakespeare.

Hinata and TenTen were waiting for me in Health, and we started talking about the party, tossing ideas back and forth and discussing who they thought would hook up... which eventually somehow wound up leading to who they thought I liked and who I would go out with. Why couldn't anyone leave my love life alone? Was it because I was the new kid?

"I think it'll be Kiba. I've seen the way you two interact, and he's soo into you!" TenTen said. I started a bit. I was so sure she would say-

"I-I don't know TenTen... I think it'll be Hidan-san." Now that surprised me. I never thought Hinata would think about that kind of thing when it came to other people.

"Oh, maybe you're right. Hidan would-"

"What about me b*tches?" Dang... I hope he wouldn't make a habit of popping up at the most awkward times. We turned around to see him once again in the seat behind me.

"Uh... ah... we were just-" I stuttered... well, this was going great.

"We were just wondering if you wanted to come to Kai's party on Friday?" TenTen saved me... Thank you TenTen!

"You're having a f*cking party? Hell yeah I'll be there. I wouldn't miss the chance to bug you!" He grinned and I felt my tummy flutter. Kami, he was hot. He had this tiny little dimple that showed when he smiled and even if he annoyed me, I still had eyes.

Wait, what was I thinking? This was _Hidan_. He loved annoying me. He swears all the time. He's a jerk. He's gorgeous... Okay... I need to stop thinking. Kakashi-sensei walked in and I breathed a mental sigh of relief. A distraction.

But it was nearly impossible to not think of him when he sat behind me, toying with my hair. At one point he leaned forward and whispered into my ear, "Jashin... you look f*cking hot today." Luckily he couldn't see my face and how red it was, but he saw me stiffen and he snickered. Jerk.

When the bell rang, I bolted upright and grabbed Hinata and TenTen and ran to the lunch room.

**Alright, I figured this is as good a place as any to stop. I was gonna do the whole day in one chapter, but how could I? That was just the perfect place to cut it. Plus, it's my longest chapter yet (2,243 words). I have closed the poll because I won't have acces to a PC for a week, and then school starts...The remaining invitations will be given in the next chapter... who's left? Let's see... Tobi, Konan, Kakuzu, Temari, and Kankuro. Am I forgetting anyone? I don't think so... Anywho, review, and check out my page and give me some feedback on my story ideas there! I haven't gotten any so far! I need to know if anyone will read them!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Ah, gomen! Sorry it took so long guys! My vacation was cut short by Irene… it was depressing. But then I had school, and I should have worked on this sooner, but I was so busy with school and my sister's personal emergency that resulted in her moving in with us... but that's no excuse. POLL RESULTS! Hidan and Deidara are tied! So, how am I gonna choose who wins in the end?... I HAVE NO CLUE! We shall just have to see how this plays out, ne?**

**Disclaimer: This lazy teme doesn't own Naruto. Or Camelot. You shall understand the latter later.**

I decided it would be easiest to give the other Akatsuki their invitations at lunch, but again, I was freaking out. I finally managed to calm myself by reminding me that I managed to talk to Pein and invite him without a problem… But I haven't even spoken with that girl yet, and Kakuzu is scary…

I finally steeled my nerves and walked over to their tables once I was out of the line.

"KAI-CHAN!" Tobi greeted me as he nearly knocked me over with yet another glomp.

"Tobi, you baka! Get off her, yeah!" Deidara came over and pried Tobi off of me, then grinned somewhat sheepishly at me. "Sorry, yeah. You'll get used to him eventually." I chuckled and looked at the rest of the group, noting that Hidan was not there yet.

"Gomen, I hope I'm not interrupting anything important. I just needed to finish something." I looked around, double checking my mental list. I already invited Kisame and Itachi, Pein and Zetsu, Deidara and Sasori, and Hidan. Therefore, I needed to issue an invitation to Kakuzu, Tobi (that would be fun), and the girl. I looked at the latter first. "Uh, I don't believe we've met before. I am Mitarashi Kai." I smiled at her, waiting for a response. She really was pretty, with dark blue hair pulled into a bun with a white origami rose, sapphire blue eyes, dark eyeshadow and liner, and a centered labret piercing.

"I am Konan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kai." She smiled softly.

"Great to meet you too!" I grinned. "Alrighty then, on to business! I need to finish inviting you guys to my party Friday! See, I already invited most of you, but I didn't get to invite Kakuzu, Konan or Tobi yet! So, now I have! You are all now officially invited!"

"TOBI IS INVITE TO PRETTY KAI-CHAN'S PARTY?"

"Yes Tobi, you are invited." I giggled.

"Mitarashi-chan…" Pein started.

"Ah, please just call me Kai. We're friends now, right?" Well, that was presumptuous of me. I mentally slapped myself.

"Alright, Kai it is then. I don't know about the rest of us, but you never told us where your house is or what time the party is."

"Ah, that's right! I was so excited to invite everyone, I forgot the details!" I laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of my neck. A few of the Akatsuki sweatdropped. I gave them the details and told them about the pool.

"A pool, huh? You forgot to mention that when you invited me." An already familiar voice said from behind me. I turned around and ended up nose to nose with Hidan. I blushed crimson, and he chuckled. "I'm even more excited now."

"Sh-shut up, Hidan!" I stuttered.

"Oi, Hidan, leave her alone, yeah!" Deidara walked over to us and pushed Hidan back a little. Hidan glared at him, and if looks could kill, Deidara would've been six feet under. I shrank back, and they both noticed. The glare immediately disappeared.

"Ah, that's it! I'm gonna go eat now!"I said, attempting to break up the tension. I waved, then headed back to my table to give the details to everyone there.

"Also, Naruto, could you pass the details onto Sasuke? I forgot to tell him too."

"You invited him? And he said yes?"He asked (yelled) Incredulously.

"Yeah, I was sort of surprised too."

In gym, I relaxed because I didn't have to worry about inviting anyone that period. Ino and TenTen were already debating what they would wear to the party when I finally walked into the locker room. When I walked out, Deidara winked at came towards me.

"Jeez, I'm not quite sure if I prefer this, or the tutu, hm." Once again, I found myself fiery red. What was it with these boys?

"Ah... I personally prefer the tutu." I said.

"I guess you're right, yeah. The tutu is more you somehow."

"Hey gorgeous!" Kiba called, walking over and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I looked at him frantically, trying to guess his game. He stared at Deidara, daring him to say anything.

Deidara never backs down from a dare, apparently. "We were talking, yeah. It's rude to interrupt, kid."

"Kid? I'm only a year younger than you, baka!" Kiba fumed. Obviously, this was going to get worse before it got better. "Besides, she'd rather talk to me than a fag like you anyday." The hurt on Deidara's face struck me to the core. That was totally uncalled for, and I could sense his feeling of betrayal that I hadn't stopped Kiba from saying it. Now I was pissed. I turned towards Kiba and slapped him, hard, in the face, then shoved him away from me.

"How dare you?" I shouted, my face heating, this time in anger. "Who do you think you are? What makes you think I would rather talk to you, when you go and make stupid comments like that? Deidara is a great guy, and I can't believe you would call him that when he obviously isn't! What did he do to deserve that?"

At this point, everyone was staring. I was making a scene, but at that point, I didn't care. Kiba was staring at me shocked, and angry red mark glaring from the side of his face. He stammered, "I-I uh... didn't mean to... uh, upset you...a-and I'm sorry?" The apology was more of a question than an answer, and I didn't miss the fact that he was only including me in that. It was obvious to me that he was sorry that I got mad at him, not that he made me mad, or that he hurt Deidara.

"Don't freaking apologize to me, I'm not the one you need to apologize to! _He's_ the one you humiliated!" Deidara was looking at me, a bizarre look on his face, like he couldn't believe I actually was standing up for him. Kiba looked at him, and mumbled a quick apology before walking away. I turned to Deidara and he blushed at the concern written on my face. "Are you okay, Dei-kun?"

"It isn't like he hit me, yeah." He muttered.

"It was still rude and unacceptable." I said emphatically. "No one deserves that crap." I hugged him, and didn't let go until Gai-sensei walked in and commented on the youthfulness of our embrace.

History went by as slow as yesterday. Study Hall was once again spent in insanity, sans dogfood. At the end of the period, when we were given time to talk (probably because Anko was in a good mood), I was surrounded by four teenage boys. Hidan snuck up behind me and poked me in the ribs, earning an "eep!" from me.

"That sh*t is never going to get old!" He laughed and I glared, slapping at his arm.

"Meanie butt!" I stuck out my tongue and pouted as Hidan, Deidara, Naruto and Kisame laughed hysterically.

"You know, you really shouldn't make f*cking cute faces like that." Hidan whispered lowly into my ear.

"Why?"

"Because..." He continued in that seductive way that had my pulse racing and face blushing, "It makes me want to f*cking..." He hesitated, and I sat with baited breath, waiting to hear how he finished that statement.

"Poke you again!" He said louder, and followed through with it. I jumped and "eep"ed again, and slapped at him as he easily held me at arms length.

"Nofairnofair no faaaiiir!" I whined, and they all just laughed. I noticed, however, that it took Deidara a moment longer to do so, and his chuckle only seemed halfhearted.

In choir, I inquired about the drama club. Temari told me that they had one, and that this year, the musical they were doing was "Camelot." I was excited, I always wanted to play Guinevere. The name was so... foreign, and I love the way it sounded. The ending was tragic, but inspiring. I asked her when the auditions were. I had two weeks to perfect "The Lusty Month of May," and "What do the Simple Folk Do?", as well as the scene in which Pellinore enters the show for the first time. I loved her character, too. She was witty and sarcastic, and wise and conflicted all at once. I couldn't wait. She told me to pick up the sheet music in Jiraiya-sensei's office. Oh boy.

When I told her about the party, she was ecstatic. "Of course we'll come! Right Kankuro? Don't you dare say no!" She threatened.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll be there! I wouldn't say no to the chance to party!"

"Great!" I gave them the details, and by the time I was done, Temari was bouncing in her seat. Oh yeah, this was gonna be one fun party.


	13. Chapter 12

**Ah, GOMEN! I am finally able to de-stress and write! I had a huge project due on Friday (already Dx) and I still have to study for PSATs, but I figured I should just…. Chill for now, ya know? Anywho, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Me: Go ahead, Lilly-cat, do it for me! (I am currently the only one awake other than my cat).**

**Lilly: *stares blankly* nyaa~**

**(Translation: Inappropriate for the internet…. O.o")**

**Me: Ah! I don't own Naruto, and ignore this feline's fowl mouth!**

The rest of the week passed uneventfully…. Well, for the most part. I made sure Kiba knew he was still invited. On Thursday, I had a little run-in with that girl from gym, Karin. Obnoxious little git…. Apparently, I am trying to… well, why don't I start from the beginning?

I walked into the locker room with TenTen and Ino to be cornered almost immediately by her.

"You little whore! Who do you think you are? How dare you-" She screeched, before I interrupted her.

"Uhm…. Who're you again?" She stared at me dumbfounded.

"I'm Karin you idiot! How could you not know that? I am only, like, the captain of the cheer squad!"

"Of course you are…. Now what do you want?" She gaped some more. "You know, if you keep making that face, people will think you are a fish or something." That really set her off, and she continued screeching and hollering while I was changing, all the way out to the group gathered in the gym. This was really getting annoying. I rounded on her, irritated.

"Could you please get to the point as to why you are yelling like a banshee? You are making my ears bleed."

"You are trying to steal my Sasuke-kun! News flash hun, he wouldn't be interested in a ho like you in a million years! No matter how many parties you invite him to so you can try getting in his pants!"

"You're kidding right? That's what has you flippin' sh*t at me? Because I invited him to my party? "

"No, because you-"

"I am not trying to 'steal' him from you. Not that I think he would be interested in you for a second, you're too annoying. But still, I have no interest in him in that way. So go b*tch at someone else." By now, the whole class is staring. She gaped again (soon she'll look fishier than Kisame), before storming away. My friends burst into applause.

"Ha! You sure showed her, Kai-chan! That was great!" Naruto laughed.

That night, I started making preparations. I gathered everything that I would need to take outside and set them near the door that led outside from the basement. I set up all of the lights and the hooked up the big stereo system. The less I had to do tomorrow, the better. Oba-chan was already starting on the dangos and bought all the snacky foods. I had the brownies in the oven. Once those were done, I could relax.

* * *

><p>After school Friday, Anko and I raced home. I set everything up outside and downstairs, and she brought down the food while I raced upstairs to get ready. I straightened my bangs but left the rest of my hair wild and poofy. I donned my Tripp pants I managed to find brand new at Salvation Army, with a teal off the shoulder tunic-y shirt with chain straps. I smudged on some thick eyeliner and did smoky eyes with my eyeshadow. I grabbed my swimsuit, which was black with purple roses. By five everything was ready, and people started showing up by five thirty.<p>

Naruto showed up with Sakura and Sai. He was wearing a neon orange tee with a trippy little skull on it, and baggy jeans. Sakura was wearing an adorable bright pink tutu and a red tee with black leg warmers over her Chucks. Sai was wearing black straight leg jeans and a band tee for MCR. Huh, I never woulda pegged him for a My Chem kinda guy.

Kiba showed up with Shino. Shino wore a green hoodie over a plain white tee and jeans and of course, his sunglasses. Kiba wore bootcut jeans and a leather jacket over a white wife beater. Wow. He didn't look too bad… but with what he said to Dei… his prospects were thin.

Hinata came with Neji, who was with TenTen and Lee. Hina-chan looked sweet in a lavender tee and a white denim skirt. Neji wore khaki cargo shorts and a white shirt with some strange logo on it, that honestly reminded me of a swastika, but I knew it wasn't. TenTen looked tough in skinny cargos and a black Avenged Sevenfold tee. Lee was…. Lee.

Sasuke showed up solo, wearing guys' skinnies and a plain black tee. Way to go the extra mile.

Shika, Ino and Choji showed up together. Shika wore normal jeans and wife beater over a fishnet shirt, Ino wore a tiny black skirt and a dark purple tube top. Choji wore simple jeans and a hoodie, which wasn't very different than what he usually wore.

Pein escorted Konan, and I couldn't help but go "awww" when I saw their linked hands. Pein was wearing bondage pants and a black BrokeNCYDE tee. Konan wore shredded skinnies with a studded belt and a BFMV tee.

Itachi showed up with Kisame. Itachi looked artfully messy in straightleg jeans and a white buttondown that was done up crooked. Kisame wore just a wife beater and torn jeans. I will admit, that beater showed off every aspect of him perfectly.

Tobi appeared with Zetsu. Tobi looked… adorable in a Mario Bros. tee and black skinnies. Zetsu was scary, no matter what he wore. I received a bone-crushing glomp from Tobi as soon as he entered.

"Oi, Tobi, move it, yeah!" Deidara called from around the human wall of Tobi-ness.

"Gomen, sempai!" He giggled frighteningly and ran out the back to everyone else. Deidara stood there with Sasori, glaring after him. I admired his hotness openly while he was distracted. He was decked out in gray skinnies and a tight black tee under an open white buttondown. Sasori noticed my gaze and smirked. I flushed. Sasori looked good too, in uber baggy jeans and a tight red tee shirt. Deidara finally looked back at me. He began scrutinizing my outfit head to toe. I blushed furiously. I seem to do that a lot around this guy. He nodded decisively. Stepping closer, he ran the back of his hand gently down my face, cupping my chin.

"Now this, this could be considered art, yeah." He leaned closer and… oh Kami ohKamiohKami….

Hidan and Kakuzu walked in. Hidan stopped dead when he saw us. Embarassed, I backed away from Deidara. Then, as if nothing happened, I ran to Hidan and glomped him.

"What the f*ck, Kai?" He spluttered.

I giggled. "I knew you'd say something like that!"

He openly checked me out, and I gave him a quick once over myself. He was looking smoking hot in Tripps covered in chains and a black wife beater. Kakuzu wore jeans and his Akatsuki hoodie.

"Sexy." Hidan leered. Normally, I would smack him. Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to. Deidara stared at us, and Hidan stared back menacingly. Just then, Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro showed up. Gaara was wearing camo cargos and a black tee with a red broken heart. Temari wore a fishnet shirt over a black cami and a black skirt. Kankuro came in a pair of black jeans and a purple shirt. Temari dragged me into a hug, breaking the tense moment. The only one who seemed to notice this was Gaara. I led them all out back where everyone was standing in little clusters. No one was mingling between the two groups. That would have to change. I went over to the speakers and turned on my Ipod and put it on shuffle. The first song was "Shots" by LMFAO. Oh yeah, now it would be a party. Whenever this song played at a drama club party, we would always change the words from "shots" to "milk."

A few of my friends whooped and started dancing, jumping, and grinding. Finally. It was like a switch was flipped. There were no two separate groups. We were one body, moving en masse to the sound of the bass blasting from the speakers. At the chorus, I belted out, "Milk, milk, milkmilkmilk, milk milk, milkmilkmilk milk milk, AND SOME COOKIES!" Everyone laughed. Everyone joined in the next time around, except for Itachi, Sasuke, Neji, and Kakuzu, who refused to dance, and Gaara, who was trying, but he seemed like he wasn't ready to completely join yet. I made a mental note to get everyone dancing eventually. This night could only get more interesting.

**Ah…. Sorry this seems filler-ish. The rest of the party is yet to come, its just… its midnight, and I am kinda sleepy. So… yeah. I have figured out how this will work out between the three of them. But… no, there will be not threesomes in the future. Even though my friend said there should be. I want to keep this story innocent. Maybe one of my others will have a lemon or a lime, but not this one. This might get a cherry. Maybe.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Wow... so my MS Word is being a butt. So I am reduced to... WordPad. Ugh. I feel so... downgraded. xD Ah well... Sorry for not updating in a while, but... well, I actually don't have an excuse this time :/ Well, onward to the party! I bet you guys'll really like this chappie! *meaningful, knowing grin***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I don't own any of this chiz. Just the plotbunny. So...**

The party was going great! Everyone was mingling and getting along. It was about nine o'clock, and a few people decided they were ready to have a nighttime swim. I showed the girls to the guest room, and the boys to the bathroom. And then I ran up to my room to change into my bikini. I just loved the way the big purple roses swirled on the black background... I digress. I wrapped a short black sarong around my waist and slid on a pair of flipflops on and headed back out.

As I was walking through the house, I realized I must have taken longer than I thought, because it seemed everyone else was already outside. I was wrong. Kiba was waiting for me around the corner in the hall. He looked me up and down, his gaze lingering a little too long in places I would have preferred it didn't. He stepped closer, and I stepped back, until my back hit the wall. He placed his hands on either side of me, leaning closer.

"K-kiba, can I help you? Did you g-get lost?" I was nervous... He was waaay too close for comfort.

"Heh... nah... I'm not lost... I was looking for you." He grinned wolfishly.

"W-why?" I squeaked.

"Cos I wanted some time alone... Is that wrong?"

"N-no... but seriously, could you back up? Personal space and all?"

"I don't think so..." He leaned closer, his face hovering over mine.

"Kiba! Let me go!" I pushed against him, but he grabbed my arms and pinned them over my head.

"C'mon, this ain't so bad... I won't hurt you."

"KIBAAA! I said let me go!" I thrashed some more, my eyes squeezed shut. Suddenly, I felt his weight disappear and a strong pair of arms wrap around my waist.

"Hey, a**hole, are you deaf? She told you to back off." Hidan's voice came from behind my head, and I relaxed into his grasp... at this point, even his embrace felt safer than Kiba's.

"Kiba, I think it would be best... if you left now." I hesitated a little, I really didn't want to lose this friendship, but he was pushing it. There was a flash of anger in his eyes, and I was briefly worried that he would try to fight Hidan. Then it was gone, and only defeat showed, with more than just a trace of pain. I immediatly felt guilty. "Wait... you know what? Stay. Just... please, don't try anything like this again. Please."

Hidan's grip on me tightened as Kiba left the room, head held high. His grip loosened when he was gone, and I turned around and hugged him. "Thank you." I whispered. He was frozen for a second, then he gave me a brief squeeze.

"Just... be more careful, 'kay?" I stepped back a little and stared at him in shock. He didn't use a single curse word in that sentence. And he actually sounded... concerned. He hugged me again, and I felt all of the hard muscles in his torso contract. That was when I realized... he was shirtless. Just my luck. I jumped back, blushing furiously. I stared for a moment and he smirked wickedly. "Like what you see?"

"Psh... Psssh, yeah right! As if!" I blushed even more as I said it. That was a total lie. He had a hot body. Six pack abs, each muscle in his body clearly defined, without being bulky. He wasn't willowy either, though.

"Whatever you need to f*cking tell yourself. C'mon, everyone is waiting." He grinned as he turned, and kami, even his butt looked good. Bad Kai, bad! I hurried to pass him, so he couldn't see my face and read my expression.

Everyone was standing in a circle in the pool when we rejoined the group, playing truth or dare. I slipped off my flipflops and sarong, and Hidan gave a wolf whistle. Ino nudged me after I joined the circle.

"Sooo... what happened in there? Did you get a little lip action or what?" She whispered.

"No!" I said, a little too loudly. Everyone stared at me for a second. Ino giggled, and the game continued. It was Kisame's turn to pick someone, and he picked Hidan. "Hidan, truth or dare?"

"Gimme a f*cking dare." He smirked.

"I dare you to..." He whispered the rest in Hidan's ear. Hidan shot him a glare, and if looks could kill, Kisame would be six feet under. Then... there was a faint tinting of pink on his face? What the...? "You don't have to do it right now... you can do the dare anytime tonight."

"Alright..." He paused before a small, hesitant smile danced across his face. He was behaving... strangely out of character at the moment. "Kai!" He declared with confidence, "dare or dare?"

"What happened to truth?" I exclaimed.

"I got rid of it. Now pick, dammit!"

"Do I even have a choice? Dare..." I sighed.

"I dare you... to let me do my dare, without protest."

"Ooookay?" What kind of dare was that?

He smirked and waded over to me. He stared at my face for a second, hesitating. My heart skipped a beat, like I knew what was coming. And, in truth, I think I did. I was just too freaked out to admit it to myself. He grabbed my chin, completely different from when we first met. This time he was gentle, and he hesitated once more before his lips connected with mine. He was gentle, but dominating. His lips moved against mine, and they tasted so sweet, like he nabbed a dango before he changed... he probably did. Before I knew it, I was kissing back. Who knew kissing was like this? This was... magical. But before it even seemed to begin, it was over.

"Okay! I'm getting bored, yeah! Let's play something else, hm." Deidara suddenly interjected, and with that, the moment was completely over.

I didn't register it until much later, but that was my first kiss, stolen in a game of truth or dare.

**Oooh... I actually enjoyed typing this! Hehehe... but, of course I would... It's Hidan, after all... ah... anywho, review please! The plot can finally get underway! wOOt!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Kay, so this is the final party chapter guys! Definitely not a filler... So, what did y'all think 'bout the lip action last chapter, huh? I liked it :P And guess what?... Th- Ya know what? Imma make you read to find out! :P **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the series named Naruto... or it's sex god Hidan... or bombastic angel Deidara... sadly. Oh yeah, I also don't own the Rocky Horror Picture Show.**

The next few hours went by in a blur, and by two we were inside, lounging in the basement, with all the normal lights off, and the lava lights, strobelights, blacklights, and "Barney on Acid" on. Hidan, Kisame, Naruto, and Kakuzu were playing pool. Some of the others were dancing, or playing videogames, but for now, I was lounging on the couch, chatting with Temari and TenTen. I found out some interesting details in that conversation... apparently, Temari had a thing for Shikamaru. Oh, how much fun I could have with that little tidbit... and, just as interesting, TenTen was crushing on Neji for about a year now... Something needed to be done about that. I asked if Ino knew about either of them, and of course, she did. Good. Now I wouldn't feel guilty for asking for her help later...

Around three, I turned on the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I rented it specifically for this party, because I had never seen it before. Less than half an hour into the actual movie, I was debating whether or not it was a good plan. Who wanted to see Tim Curry in an S&M suit, singing about how he was just a transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania? I must've looked really awkward, because Deidara came to my rescue, and asked me if I wanted to bring in the food table, so that we didnt' have to keep running outside. I jumped at the opportunity. Hidan was still playing pool. Well... not that I cared. That jerk stole my first kiss, and never even showed any interest otherwise. I was not happy with him. Dirty little pervert.

I carried in the food, and Dei-kun grabbed the tables. We worked in silence, until the last trip, when I tripped with the pocky platter in my hands. I flinched and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the impact, but it never came. I slowly opened one eye, then started when I could finally comprehend what it was my eyes were seeing. Deidara had one arm wrapped around my waist, and somehow managed to catch the pocky.

"Th-thanks Dei-kun." I was flustered... this was the second time in one night that a hot guy had his arms around me, saving me from some sort of calamity. He smirked as he stood us upright. My face was within an inch of his. He was leaning closer... I panicked. I quickly grabbed a pocky stick off of the platter and stuck it in my mouth. He leaned back, grinned at me, then...

_HE STOLE MY POCKY! _I pouted as he stuck it in his mouth. That just wasn't fair. Even less fair than that, while I was pouting and glaring at the pocky, he pulled it out of his mouth, and gave me a kiss. It was brief, chaste, sweet, and left my lips tingling, aching for more. I felt like I was temporarily on cloud nine, but, at the same time, I felt like I deserved to rot. Wasn't my face attached to Hidan's earlier? Not that it was entirely voluntary, but... I still enjoyed it. Did that make me dirty? Did I-

My thoughts were cut short when his lips connected with mine again. There was more pressure, more urgency, like he was trying to convey some sort of message or...

Tick somebody off. Before I knew it, we were forcefully seperated, and Hidan had Dei pinned against one of the support posts of the deck by his shirt collar, ready to nail him in the face. Deidara just glared back defiantly. Hidan started to swing, and I latched onto his arm. He stopped short, just inches from connecting with Dei's nose.

"Stop!" I yelled. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. Hidan looked at me, fury all over his face, which quickly melted away. Deidara looked stricken by my tears. He shrugged out of his shirt and walked over to me. He brushed the hair out of my eyes tenderly, wiped my tears, and embraced me. I sobbed and broke away from his arms and bolted to the house. I could feel their gazes following me.

I stopped before I entered, and wiped my face. I put on my best acting face, and walked back in as if nothing had happened. No one seemed to notice. And honestly, I wasn't about to complain. Anko was with everyone now, watching the movie. I rejoined Temari and TenTen on the couch and watched as Eddie was brutally killed in a freezer by Curry's character, Dr. Frank-N-Furter while the heros watched in horror. I fell asleep there on the couch, wondering what I would do about my current predicament.

I woke up later that morning, not between TenTen and Temari as I had fallen asleep, but with Dei and Hidan on each side. Hidan was still asleep, with his head nestled apparently comfortably... up north... And Dei had one arm around my shoulders, and my head was resting on his shoulder. His shirt was still open, showing off his amazing body. He was lean and wiry, but he had such a nice build, and he was muscled in such a fine way... Against an opponent like Hidan, he would rely more on his speed, whereas Hidan would rely on strength... I didn't want to think about that though... I didn't want them to fight.

What was a girl to do when she was in a situation like this? I really didn't know... but I knew I would have to figure it out, and quickly.

**Oh... The plot thickens. What shall she do? Clearly, Hidan isn't willing to share. And honestly... I don't think Dei is either. You shall see. I don't need to wait. I am the author, so I already know. Once again, review, and check out my other story ideas on my profile. Y'all can thank a certain Anonymous for the update. Someone who checks for an update every hour deserves an update.**


	16. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the delay guys, but I am back! I got a rather distressing review, DarkEcho15 claiming I stole their sister's plot. The story is I'm In Charge Now! by SweetIcecream. Go and read it if you want, and you can see my plot is totally different. I was a loyal reviewer to the story until I lost interest. So... Now I am a lame plot-thief. Whatever. I'm still gonna write. Screw her. SweetIcecream: I still like you, and I apologize for the misunderstanding, but my story is mine and mine alone.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any reasonable facsimile thereof. Nor did I steal the freaking plot of this story.**

Two weeks after the party, I was trying so hard to ignore the tension that was obviously growing between Deidara and Hidan. Since the party, Hidan was acting less and less like himself, avoiding conversations with me, he was quiet in Health, and he didn't comment on any of the stupid, klutzy things I did.

Deidara, on the other hand, didn't change his behavior at all. He still flirted with me, accepted my glomps, and teased me about anything and everything. I was seriously starting to like him, and the prospect terrified me. I had this... not habit, per se, but... unwanted talent for crushing on the wrong people. I would fall fast and hard, and then my heart would be broken. I built up defenses, in a manner of speaking, and hadn't had a severe crush in over a year. The fact that we only recently met and he was already chipping away at those walls scared me. I didn't know what to do, and I didn't want to be hurt again.

Which was precisely why I was freaking out when I told Anko that I was going to hang with Deidara after school. He'd asked me if I could during art, and I told him I'd ask oba-chan. Then, after she said it was alright, I spent the rest of the day freaking out. Temari tried to calm me down in choir, but I couldn't stop wigging out.

When the final bell rang, I left the building with Temari, Kankuro and Gaara as usual to wait for Deidara. Gaara didn't like the idea of me being alone with him, he didn't trust any of the Akatsuki, despite the lack of animosity between the two groups at my party. He didn't hate them, he just didn't trust them. He wanted to wait with me until Dei showed up, but Temari dragged him away, and for that, I was extremely grateful.

By the time most of the kids left, he still hadn't shown, and I was worried that he had forgotten me. I wouldn't have been surprised, honestly, if he had decided he didn't want to hang out after all. Just as I was about to give up and start walking home, he pulled up next to me on a white 250cc 2009 Yamaha FZ6-R with black flames. I was unsure at first when he patted the seat behind him. It was small, and I was fairly sure I wouldn't fit. He rolled his eyes.

"Just hop on, yeah, and hold on tight. You'll be fine, hm." I hesitated once more before summoning all of my courage and hopping on beside him and wrapping my arms around his waist. He revved once, before tearing out of the parking lot. I squeezed my eyes shut and tightened my grip. He laughed. I felt the wind whipping around me, and after about five minutes without falling off, I slowly opened my eyes and looked up. The world raced by as I clung to him. I rested my cheek against against his back and let go of the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I loosened my grip and I relaxed against him, enjoying the sensation that seemed so similar to flying. Time seemed to speed up as the world slowed down. When we stopped, we were outside an unfamiliar building.

"Dei, where are we?"

He stared at me and schooled his face into a totally serious expression, then said, "A candy shop, yeah."

I couldn't help it, I laughed. I was still laughing when he led me inside. It scared the crap out of me when a balding head with big buggy glassed popped up from behind the counter. Then the shop owner stood up to his full hieght, which couldn't have been more than five feet. He blinked owlishly at us through his glasses, then grinned broadly when he recognized Deidara. Turns out he was a regular customer. They chatted while I perused the candy selection.

"Pick what you want Kai, I'm paying, yeah." I turned from my examination of candy covered sour gummy bears to look at him in surprise. I blushed at the lazy smile he had, and it only worsened when the shopkeeper asked if we were on a date. Deidara quickly denied it, but I could see he was blushing too.

In the end, I got those gummy bears, some peach rings, gummy strawberries, and a blue raspberry PushPop. He chose licorice, coke bottles, Pop Rocks, and fruity Tootsie Rolls. When we left, the bag of candy sat on my lap as my arms wrapped around him again. He then drove us to a park, where we sat under a pavilion and had a candy picnic.

"Those gummy bears are turning your lips colors, yeah." He said with a laugh.

"What about my tounge?" I asked. I stuck it out and crossed my eyes, trying to see for myself. He laughed at my ridiculous face.

After that, we sat in companionable silence, munching away quietly on our candy for about five minutes. Then he turned to me, totally serious.

"Hey... Kai..."

"Yeah Deidei?"

"Uhm... I was wondering, hm..." He hesitated, and the pause stretched on for what seemed like an eternity before I got him to continue.

"Wondering what?" I tilted my head to the side a little and looked at him until he finished.

"Would you... go-out-with-me?" The second half of the question rushed out, and it took me a minute to process what he said before I glomped him.

**Well, that's it for now. I am too irritated to write more, hope you liked it!**


	17. Chapter 16

**! I hope I haven't lost all of my readers due to my negligence... I was overloaded with school work, musical practice, a job, and boy drama (that ended quite well, in my favor ;P) and I literally have next to no time to work on this. So while I have a slight repreive, I shall update! I was planning on doing this over a month ago, but that never happened... GOMEN NASAI! **

**HIDAN FANS: Do not lose faith in my story. Trust in me and my epic plan of epicness. Also, if you love good writing, vampires, and Hidan, check out WolvesKey's story Love is Eternal. It is amazingly written and she could use more viewers!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Though, if I did, I wouldn't be stuck at my job...**

As you all can probably guess by my epic glompage of Deidara, I said yes when he asked me out. The events that followed in school the following Monday, however, were less than happy.

He was waiting for me when Anko and I arrived. She looked at me in that way that said "I don't entirely approve, but I trust you..." but made you think she really didn't. Ignoring her, he waltzed up to me and grabbed my hand and kissed me on the cheek.

"Good morning beautiful," he said with a devilish grin.

"Morning!" I chirped. We entered the school, hand in hand. I will admit, I was a bit nervous. I thought a lot of people would stare, but really, the only ones who did were my friends. He walked me to my locker before heading to his. As soon as his back was turned, I leaned against my locker and sighed happily, closing my eyes.

"What was that?" TenTen appeared out of nowhere, scaring the crud out of me.

"He asked me out.. I said yes." I grinned again, and I probably looked absolutely ridiculous.

"During your 'non-date' on Friday?" I had insisted that she call it that instead of a date, because it wasn't a date, we were just hanging out... but now, I no longer cared what she called it.

"Yep!"

"You realize Ino is going to bug the heck out of you about this?"

"Yep!"

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Nope!" I giggled. "I really don't care at this point!"

She sighed and shook her head. "Come on, we need to get to homeroom. Even though Kakashi-sensei is usually late, he has a habit of being on time whenever a student is late."

The day took a turn for the worse in health class. Hidan ignored me entirely. That was the first day he hadn't poked me in health class in the two and a half weeks I'd been here. I was a little concerned, honestly. What was his problem?

At lunch, I sat with Deidara amongst the Akatsuki. I would've sat with everyone else, but it was like Ino banned me for as long as my relationship would last... Actually, her exact words were: "You belong with your man, and I don't want to see your face around here as long as you two are together!" And that decided it.

Hidan avoided both me and Deidara at lunch, sitting as far away from us as he could without leaving the table. Deidara and I got into discussing the musical, and I convinced him to audition. The audition was in three days, and that left us with little time for him to learn his song. The male audition songs were Lancelot's "C'est Moi" and Arthur and Guinevere's duet "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" I had never heard him sing before, so I had to cross my fingers and hope. Kisame snickered when we discussed the plot and he realized the time-period in which the musical takes place.

"So... the costumes..." He bit out between laughs, "Does this mean Deidara... is gonna hafta... wear... tights?" And he lost control entirely, laughing like an idiot. Deidara looked at me, aghast, and I shrugged.

"I'll have to wear a pretty, girly gown most likely." I hoped that the possibility of spandex hadn't discouraged him.

Apparently not. In gym, he asked me when we could practice his songs. I glomped him and said whenever. We decided after school at my house would work. And then... Guy-sensei walked in and told us that even though our embrace was youthful, we needed to break it up youthfully because it was interrupting his class. Which, by the way, he described as youthful. He and Pedo-sensei were enough to make me wish I was graduating this year.

At the end of the day, I was running late, because I had to stay in choir a little bit longer to pick up Deidara's sheet music. Not that I can read sheet music... I learn by ear. When I ran outside, I looked around for Dei-kun, and found him staring after Hidan, who was stalking away toward the parked cars.

"You okay?" I asked as I took his hand. He looked distracted.

"I'm fine, yeah." I didn't entirely believe him, he still had that distant look. He snapped out of it quickly though. "How about we go learn those songs, hm?" I giggled and kissed him, and we headed towards his motorcycle.

**Sorry it's so short... I just needed a filler-y chapter until the actual audition, where we will have a nice surprise... *smiles evilly* Trust me, Hidan may be down, but he's not out. Again, check out WolvesKey's story if you want... she would appreciate it, and so would I. And I know I'm asking a lot... wait, let me wipe the dripping sarcasm from my chin... but please check my profile and give me some feedback on my story ideas!**


	18. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! I know it's been a while… not sure quite how long… but I'm still alive! There's been a lot going on in school with projects, the musical, finals, and a whole lotta poopy stuff, but for the most part, its out of the way!**

**EDIT: I needed to edit a bit at the end, it was poorly worded and made it very difficult to work the next chapter. So there is a slight change in the final paragraph, but it doesn't change the plot at all.  
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**Emi-chan (bestie): Uhm… you barely started your finals essay for your AP course in American Studies…**

**SHHHH! This is more fun. Anywho, since you're here Emi-boo, you can do the disclaimer.**

**Emi-chan: Sigh… Branflakes does not own Naruto… **

**-_-+ No. No Branflakes-ing on here. **

**Emi-chan: Otay, whatever you say Branflakes! **

**On with the story. The day of auditions.**

I should tell you, I take things like auditions quite seriously. Any true drama geek who really wants a lead will go above and beyond to impress them. So… I changed into a more time-era appropriate costume before the auditions, left over from an old show I did at my old school. I was waiting in the front of the auditorium with Deidara for the director to call for our auditions. I was feeling confident, too. His voice was good. In fact, I thought it was very good. And that's not from a biased point of view! And I was pretty sure that even if I didn't get Guinevere, I had a good shot at Nimue's solo.

"First," the director announced, "I would like to hear all of the ladie's auditions. We will go by feeling." I smiled. That was my old director's favorite method of running auditions. You stood up and auditioned when you "felt" that you were ready, or that you should. It was highly effective for finding people with the right amount of confidence. After four or five other girls stood up on the stage and ran through the songs, I felt confident enough in myself to give it a shot.

I got up on stage, gave my name, grade, and part I would most like to play. And when the pianist began the first few notes, and the lights blinded me to the existance of the rest of the people in the seats, I felt myself slip from reality. The notes simply flowed, and I remembered why I loved being on stage so much. This was it. Even if I didn't get any solo's or stand out parts, I was completely happy just being someone else for a small amount of time.

The female solo auditions came to an end after twelve or so other girls, and it became time for the guys auditions. Deidara was nervous, I could tell. After the vast majority of the guys had auditioned, he was still sitting next to me. I nudged him, and he nodded stiffly, and then moved almost robotically to the stage. He pushed through the audition, and although his voice was fantastic, a warm, sweet tenor, he didn't seem to just slip into the song. "C'est Moi" is a very self-assured, arrogant song, and he just didn't seem in it. After the last boy had auditioned, the director looked around.

"Are there any more gentlemen who would like to audition?" There were enough boys for all the male rolls, but none of them seemed like they could be Lancelot to me, not even Dei. I think the director felt the same, by the look of desperation creeping onto her face.

"Ya know what? F*** it, I'll give it a shot!" came a very obnoxious, very familiar voice from the very back of the auditorium. Hidan strolled forward onto the stage and grinned down on everyone.

"Name, grade, and part?" the director asked warily.

"Name's Hidan, 11th, and what the hell do you mean by part?"

She sighed. "Did you prepare the audition piece?"

"Nope."

"Then how do you expect to do well."

"I heard enough of these pansies do it to know it."

She sighed again. "Alright, go ahead."

Okay, I will admit, I was impressed. He really did know the song. And he sang it well. Quite well. And he was arrogant about it too. He was doing good and he knew it.

"Alright, take five. After that, I want to hear those who want either Lancelot, Arthur, or Guinevere to do the duet. Nimue and Mordred will follow."

During the break, I cornered Hidan.

"Why are you here?"

"To make King Pussypants over there look bad." He shrugged.

I had no response. He was succeeding, so far, but I wouldn't admit that out loud. Instead, I spun on my heel and walked over to Dei to try and pump him up for the duets.

When we all filed back in, the girls auditioning for Guinevere were sent to one side of the stage, and the guys for Arthur and Lancelot went to the other. Not surprisingly, Karin was on the Guinevere side, and Hidan on the guys side. Karin was going on and on about how she was going to get the lead and impress Sasuke and blah, blah, blah. Her voice sounded like someone was pulling a cat's tail.

"Alright, I'll let you pick your first partner, but then, I will put you in different pairings to hear how you sound with different people."

I immediatly walked over to Deidara, completely blowing off Hidan, who was approaching. I felt a little bad, but Dei needed me, and he was the one I wanted to succeed.

"Listen up! I'm going to go from left to right in these pairings. That means you-" here she pointed to Karin and her unfortunate partner, "are up. Let's go!"

Not even two measures into the song, the director called for the next group. Soon, Deidara and I were up. I grabbed his hand for comfort, and the piano started. He turned to me.

"Just like practice." I whispered. And then we started the song, our gazes locked the entire time.

After that, the auditions passed in a blur. Once all the original pairs had gone, she began mixing us up. She paired me up with three other boys, including Hidan. I didn't focus much on the Nimue and Mordred auditions.

"I'd like a few people to stay a few minutes." And she rattled off a list of names, including mine, Deidara's, and Hidan's. Karin had left a while back in outrage that the director hadn't asked her to sing in another pairing.

"I'd like to hear you all once more. I've written down a few songs I'd like you to learn individually. Call-backs are next Tuesday. The cast list should be up by Friday." She passed little slips of paper to everyone. I had to learn "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," "I Loved You Once In Silence," a solo she sings to Lancelot. Dei later showed me his paper, which had "How to Handle a Woman" and "Camelot." Hidan had no issue bragging about his call-back, while complaining that "If Ever I Would Leave You" sounded like a pussy's song. He didn't comment on "I Loved You Once In Silence," which I noticed he had to "look over" the dialogue to when I "accidentally" glanced at his paper.

_Dear Kami, don't let him get Lancelot_.

**Okay, so this took longer to write than I had expected, and school is out. But I am proud of this chapter. And if anyone knows anything about the musical Camelot, they will understand Kai's little prayer at the end. If you don't... well, you'll either have to look up a play synopsis or find out later ;P **


	19. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! Again, I am so sorry for the wait for this chapter. Maybe I shouldn't bother apologizing... because it's guaranteed to happen again... -.- I suck. **

**I am also giving up on decent censorship of Hidan's language. I don't feel like doing that anymore... If it offends you, I sincerely apologize. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Onward. Callbacks.**

SoI had four days to learn my call back songs. This was no huge deal for me, I was used to getting around two. I learned them to the best of my ability, and aided Deidara wherever and whenever I could. I tried not to think too hard about how Hidan was doing, because I didn't want to consider how bad it could be if he got the part of Lancelot.

I sighed as I walked down the hallway towards Dei's locker, my backpack slung over my shoulder. He grinned when he saw me, and jogged towards me. He wrapped me in an embrace, and I breathed in his scent, allowing it to lure me into calmness.

"Ready for this, hm?" He asked, a cocky smirk on his face. He had reason to feel confident. Over the last four days, we worked our arses off on his songs. He was ready.

And so was I. I could do this. I could take anything, even Hidan as Lancelot, as long as I could return to Dei's embrace at the end of the day.

We walked to the auditorium, hand-in-hand. Hidan greeted us in his usual obnoxious way when we entered. "Well," he sneered, "Isn't that fucking cute?"

We chose to ignore him.

When the director arrived, things got down to business. We ran through all of our solos in groups, then individually. Then we got paired up into duets, if we had one to do. After that we read through bits of the script, to give the director a feel for how well we acted as well as sang. She had Hidan and I do a bit of the scene surrounding "I Loved You Once in Silence" (Yeah, I saw that coming).

Just reading through the script wasn't too bad, actually. But if we got those parts, once the blocking was added, there was no doubt in my mind that things would get akward.

**That Friday**

I was twitchy throughout all of my classes. I wanted the day to end, so I could get to the choir room and the cast list. At lunch, Deidara and I were discussing who we thought the most likely candidates were for the supporting roles, like Nimue, Merlin, and Pellinore. We avoided discussing the leads, for fear of jinxing ourselves. Hidan claimed he didn't care what he got, so long as he could make hell for Deidara. Once again, we ignored him, to engrossed in our conversation to give a dang about his comments.

Sitting through choir was torture. It couldn't end fast enough. And when the final bell rang, I was among the first to the cast list. Unfortunately, so was Karin.

"WHHAAAATTT?!" She shrieked. "How did I not get a lead?! I have the voice of-"

"A dying cat. Now shut the fuck up and move." Hidan brushed through the crowd and harshly nudged her out of the way. He scanned the list, quickly, then began laughing maniacally as he walked away.

That concerned me.

Hesitantly, I approached the cast list. As I read, my feelings began to mix up inside of me, crazy, and uncontrolled. As I stood there, I felt arms wrap around me from behind.

"Well?" Deidara muttered. I let his warmth surround me, and I relaxed into his arms. In response, I pointed to our names, at the bottom of the list.

Mordred- Suigetsu

Nimue- Temari

Pellinore- Idate

Merlin- Shikamaru

Morgan LeFey- Ino

Lancelot- Hidan

Guinevere- Kai

Arthur- Deidara

"Woohoo! We did it, yeah!" Deidara cheered as he picked me up and spun me in a circle. My feelings finally figured out what they wanted to focus on, the joy and elation that I finally got the lead I had wanted for years, that all of our hard work had paid off. I laughed out loud as he spun me around, and when he stopped, I kissed him. His eyes widened in shock, then he closed them and kissed me back. I smiled and pulled away slightly, before leaning in to give him another quick peck.

I pretended not to notice Hidan as we walked away, his gaze burning a metaphorical hole in my back. And I tried not to think about the fact that he and I would be lovers in the musical...

**Okay, again, sorry. I also had to edit a bit in the final paragraph of the last chapter, which isn't a huge deal, nor did it affect the plot at all, so you don't even have to worry about it. If you guys wouldn't mind checking out my profile and reading over a few of my story ideas at the bottom, that'd be great!**

**IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE: My name is a pain in the butt, so I am changing it to coincide with a lot of my other pages, like my FictionPress and my Deviantart. From now on, you may call me Rawripop (pronounced like lollipop, but with Rawr instead of loll).  
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**Thanks a billion for your patience with me! Until next time, Auf Wiedersehen! :3**


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